


poison in our veins, but we don't even care

by bradfordbuttfuck



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: A lot happens okay prepare for a bumpy ride, Alternate Universe, Anal Sex, Bad Pasts, Blowjobs, Business!AU, Businessman!Harry, Businessman!Niall, Dom/sub Undertones, F/M, Fluff, Friends With Benefits, From Sex to Love, I'll add more tags as I go :), M/M, Past Rape/Non-con, Powerful Businessman!Zayn, Punk!Louis, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rimming, Sexual Tension, Smut, a lot of sexual tension, based on Sylvia Day's book, first five chapters written by previous owner of this fanfic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-02-02
Updated: 2014-06-28
Packaged: 2018-01-10 22:08:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 14
Words: 42,301
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1165119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bradfordbuttfuck/pseuds/bradfordbuttfuck
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You'd be surprised by how quickly things can change.</p><p>But you'd also be surprised by how quickly things fall apart.</p><p> </p><p>Or the one where Niall and Zayn learn that running away from your problems is a race they'll never win and that staying in the past is just as bad as trying to obtain the perfect future.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Gettin' weak all in your knees

"We should head to a bar and celebrate." Niall wasn't surprised by Liam's pronouncement. Liam Payne found excuses to celebrate, no matter how small and inconsequential. Niall'd always considered it part of his charm.

"I'm sure drinking the night before starting a new job is a bad idea."

"Come on, Niall." Liam sat on their living room floor amid half a dozen moving boxes and flashed his winning smile. They'd been unpacking for days, yet he still looked amazing. Leanly built, dark haired, brown eyes, Liam was a man who rarely looked anything but absolutely gorgeous on any day of his life, Niall might have resented that if the lad wasn't his best friend. "I'm not talking about getting hammered," he insisted. "Just a shot or two, we can hit happy hour and be in by ten at the latest."

"I don't know if I'll make it back in time." Niall gestured at his grey sweats and tank top. "After I time the walk to work, I'm hitting the gym."

"Walk fast, work out faster." Liam perfectly executed arched brow made me laugh, Niall fully expected his million dollar face to be on magazines and all over the world one day, no matter what expression Liam was a knockout. "How about tomorrow after work?" The blond offered as a substitute. "If I make it through the day without crying and crawling home, that'll be worth celebrating."

Liam grins. "Deal and I'm cooking tonight!" Niall's eyes widened. "Uh.." Cooking was one of Liam's joys but it wasn't one of his talents. "Great." Niall smiled blowing a wayward strand of hair from his face, Liam's grin widened. "We've got a kitchen most people would kill for. There is no way to mess up in there."

The blond rolls his eyes. "With your cooking skills I'm sure you'll find a way!" He headed out with a wave, choosing to avoid a conversation about cooking. Taking the elevator down to the first floor, Niall smiled at the doorman when he let him out to the street with a flourish. The moment Niall stepped outside, the smells and sounds of London embraced him and invited him to explore. He was a long way from his former home in Ireland, it felt worlds away. In his dreams he'd imagined living in a country home somewhere in Yorkshire, but being the dutiful son, Niall found himself on Baker Street in London. If not for Liam living with him, Niall would've been miserably lonely in the sprawling apartment that cost more per month than most people made in a year.

The doorman tipped his hat to him. "Good evening, Mr Horan. Will you need a taxi this evening?"

"No thanks Paul." Niall rocked back on his trainers. "I'll be walking." He smiled. "It's cooled down from this afternoon. Should be nice."

"I've been told I should enjoy the April weather before it gets wicked hot."

"Very good advice, Mr Horan." Stepping out from under the modern glass entrance overhang that somehow meshed with the age of the building and its neighbours, Niall enjoyed the relative quiet of his tree lined street before he reached the bustle and flow of traffic on the main London roads. One day soon, he hoped to blend right in but for now he was still the milky white outcast, Niall had the address and job of a Londoner but he was still weary of the underground and had trouble stopping taxis.

The blond tried not to walk around wide eyed and distracted but it was hard. There was just so much to see and experience. His senses go crazy, the smell of the vehicle exhaust mixed with food from the restaurant's and take away places, the shouts from the big issue sellers blended with music from shops and street performers, the different faces and styles and accents, the gorgeous architectural wonders, and the cars, jesus christ. The frantic flow of tightly packed cars was unlike anything he'd seen anywhere.

There was always an ambulance, police car or even a riot van trying to part the flood of multi-coloured taxis, the sirens becoming ear splitting. Niall was in awe of the bin men that navigated through tiny one way streets and the royal mail drivers who braved the bumper to bumper traffic whilst facing deadlines. Niall shut his mouth, realising he probably looked like a fool, practically gawking at the tall structures in the middle of the pavement. He makes his way to his destination. Arriving at the entrance of a sleek building of high altitude. It was modern, elegant, and it gave him the business-y feel.

Niall flashed his ID to the large bulky man that guarded the tall glass doors but a hand was stretched in front of him, stopping him from entering. The guard gave one glance at the plastic card before giving him access. Niall doesn't blame them, if he was in their position he wouldn't give access to a blond kid, dressed in casual wear, trainers, snapback and all, through a high ranking, almighty business corporation. As he walks through the large halls, Niall witnesses a woman spill her items from her purse, not even one person bothering to help her as she struggled with all the rolling coins. Niall frowned when a man merely walked past her, in a rush to avoid helping.

The blond shook his head and helped her, picking up the scattered silver pence. One coin, unfortunately, slipped through the gaps of his fingers and rolled away. Looking a little bit mental, crawling on the floor to try and catch a coin, Niall rushed the process, reaching out to grab the pound when a sleek, black, italian shoe landed in front of it. Blue eyes trailed up from the grey, fitting trousers, to the visible toned chest which was, sadly, clothed with a white dress shirt and a silky iron blazer as the finishing layer. His eyes landed on his face and it was just as beautiful as the rest of him, the defined cheekbones with just the perfect amount of stubble. Liquid gold irises that were shielded by long raven lashes.

The coin was already in Niall's grip, but those eyes that poured into his made the blond foolishly tumble, landing on his arse. Cursing at himself for being so idiotic, a light blush spreads across his cheeks as Niall accepted the hand he offered. "Are you alright?" He asked, his voice like a soulful melody. It was deep, husky and it made Niall's heart stutter.

Niall stood up dusting himself, nodding with a smile before giving the coin to the lady. She also seemed to be mesmerised by him. "Th-Thanks.." The lady said, mostly to the beautiful man instead of Niall, you know, the one who actually _helped_ her. The Irish boy did a quick eye roll before he pressed his lips into a tight line. His eyes landed back on the unnamed beauty, who was, surprisingly, already looking at him, paying no attention to the woman who was practically begging for his attention. Niall squirmed uncomfortably under his gaze, feeling the heat rush to his face. Again.

The lady had left after a few seconds, finally giving up on gaining his awareness, leaving the two in an awkward silence.

"I believe this is yours..?" Niall's ID was slotted in between his ring and index finger. It probably slipped from his pocket when he moronically fell. "Thanks," The blond replied, sounding quieter and less confident than it did in his head. Niall saw the corners of his lips twitch slightly before he gave a small nod and exited the building.

That was weird.

Going up to the elevator and greeting the desk lady with his name, she directed him to where he was supposed to work. Niall'd brought a couple of things to personalise his space, and he pulled them out of his backpack. One was a framed collage of three photos – him and Liam in Thailand, his mum and Simon on his yacht in the French Riviera, and his dad on duty – The other item was a colourful arrangement of glass flowers that Liam had given him just that morning as a "first day" gift. Niall tucked it beside the small grouping of photos and sat back to take in the effect.

"Good morning, Niall." A voice says, making Niall himself up on his feet to face his boss.

"Good morning, Mr.Styles."

"Call me Harry, please. Come on over to my office." Harry waves his hand. Niall followed him across the strip of hallway, once again thinking that his new boss was very easy to look at with his gleaming skin, curly brunette hair, and laughing green eyes. Harry had a charming crooked smile. He was trim and fit, and he carried himself with a confident poise that inspired trust and respect. He gestured to one of the two seats in front of his glass desk and waited until Niall sat to settle into his own chair. Harry looked accomplished and powerful. He was, in fact, just a junior account manager, and his office was a closet compared to the ones occupied by the directors and executives, but no one could fault the view of London he got.

He leaned back and smiled. "Did you get settled into your new apartment?" Niall was suprised he remembered, but he appreciated it, too. Niall had met him during his second interview and liked him right away. "For the most part," Niall answered. "Still a few stray boxes here and there." Harry nods.

"You moved here from Ireland, right? Nice place, but very different from London. Do you miss it?" Niall thinks for a moment. "I miss the countryside. It's all so crowded and full of cars and people." He answers.

"I love the countryside!" Harry smiles. "So.. it's your first day and you're my first assistant, so we'll have to figure this out as we go. I'm not used to delegating, but I'm sure I'll pick it up." Niall was instantly at ease. "I'm eager to be delegated to."

"Having you around is a big step up for me, Niall. I'd like you to be happy here. Do you drink coffee?"

"Coffee is one of my favourite drinks. Besides a pint." The blond chuckles.

"Ah, an assistant after my own heart." His smiled widened. "I'm not going to ask you to fetch coffee for me, but I would. Mind if you helped me figure out how to use the new coffee machine they put in the break rooms." Niall grinned. "No problem."

"How sad is it that I don't have anything else for you?" He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Why don't I show you the accounts I'm working on and we'll go from there?"

* * *

 

The rest of the day passed in a blur. Harry touched bases with two clients and had a long meeting with the creative team working on concept ideas. It was a fascinating process seeing firsthand how the various departments worked. Niall would've stayed later to get a better feel of the layout of the offices, but his phone rang at ten minutes to five.

"Harry Styles' office. Niall Horan speaking."

"Get your Irish arse home so we can go out for the drink you promised yesterday." Liam's mock sternness made him smile. "Alright, alright, I'm coming." Shutting down his computer, he cleared out. When he reached the row of elevators, Niall sent Liam a quick 'on my way' text.

A ding alerted him to which elevator was stopping on my floor and Niall moved over to stand in front of it, briefly returning bis attention to pressing the send button. When the doors opened, Niall took a step forward. He glanced up and was met with a familiar pair of golden eyes.

His breath caught.

The sex god was the lone occupant.


	2. Whisper dirty secrets

His shirt was brilliantly white, the colour emphasizing those amazing golden irises as he stood there with his leather jacket open and his hands shoved casually into his jean pockets, the sight of him was like running into a wall.  
  
Niall jerked to a halt, his gaze riveted to the man who was even more beautiful than he had remembered. Niall had never seen hair that purely black, it was glossy and styled to perfection. The sexy cut was the crowing touch of his bad boy allure.    
  
Pale hands clenched against the urge to touch it, to see if it had felt like the rich silk it had resembled.    
  
The doors began to close.   
  
He took an easy step forward and pressed a button on the side to hold them open. "There's plenty of room for both of us, Niall."      
  
The sound of that smoky, implacable voice broke him from his trance.  _How did he know my name?_  
  
Then Niall remembered that the man had picked up his badge when Niall dropped it back at the entrance. For a second, Niall debated telling him he was waiting for someone so he could take the next one down.      
  
But what was he thinking? Clearly he worked here at thus building so he couldn't avoid the real-life prince every time he saw him, and why should he? If the blond wanted to get to the point where he could look at him and take his good looks for granted, Niall needed to see him regularly so he became a piece of furniture.   
  
Which he wouldn't mind sitting on.    
  
He stepped into the elevator. "Thank you." He released the button and stepped back again, the doors closed and the elevator began its descent.    
  
Niall immediately regretted his decision as awareness of being in a small space with him prickled across his pale skin. He was a potent force, radiating energy and pure sexual magnetism that had Niall shifting restlessly on his feet. His breathing became as ragged as his heartbeat. Niall felt that pull to him again, as though he excluded a silent demand that he was instinctively attuned to answering.    
  
"Enjoy your first day?" The lad asked, startling Niall from his thoughts. His voice flowed over the blond in a seductive rhythm.    
  
 _How did he know it was my first day?_  
  
"Yes, actually.'" He answered evenly. "How was yours?"      
  
Niall felt eyes rake over his body, but he kept his sight trained on the doors. His stomach quivered madly, feeling jumbled and off his game.   
  
"We'll it wasn't my first." He replied with a hint of amusement. "But it was successful and getting better as I make progress."    
  
Niall nodded and managed a smile, having no idea what that was supposed to mean. The elevator slowed onto the twelfth floor and a friendly group of three got in, talking happily among themselves. Niall stepped back to make room for them, retreating to the opposite corner away from the deathly gorgeousness of the tanned god. Except he sidestepped along with him.    
  
They were suddenly closer than before.    
  
He adjusted his jacket, his arm brushing Niall's as he did so, he sucked in a deep breath trying to ignore his acute awareness of _him_ by concentrating on the conversation taking place in front of them, but it was impossible. He was just so there, right there. All perfect and gorgeous and smelling divine.      
  
Niall's thoughts ran away from him, fantasising about how hard and toned he must be, how it might feel against him, how _big_ he was down there.    
  
As the elevator reached the ground Niall almost moaned in relief. He waited impatiently as the elevator emptied, and the first chance he got, he took a step forward. The beautiful man's hand settled firmly at the small of the blond's back and walked out beside him. The sensation of his touch on such a vunerable place rippled through Niall, the touch burning through the fabric and prickling at his skin. They reached the entrance and his hand fell away leaving Niall feeling oddly alone. Niall glanced at him, trying to read him but he gave nothing away despite the fact he was looking down at the blond boy with a small glint in his eye.    
  
"Niall!"      
  
The sight of Liam lounging casually against a marble column in the entrance shifted everything. He was wearing jeans and a oversized jumper. He drew the attention of everyone as he walked over with a tall curly haired brunette. The sex god passed them, moving through the revolving doors and sliding into the back of the black Bentley waiting outside. "Well, well that's who you were talking about, right?"      
  
"Yeah, that was him."      
  
"You work with him?" He gaped before holding hands with the brunette. "Oh and Niall this is Danielle, Danielle this is Niall."   
  
"Nice to meet you, Liam has told me many things." She smiled as she pulled him into a bone cracking hug, Niall smiled hugging her back. "Nice to meet you too, but can we go now I'm fucking starved!" 

* * *

  
The next morning arrived with a slight throbbing at the back at Niall's head, caused for knocking back one too many drinks with Liam and Danielle.    
  
He dropped everything into his bottom drawer and when Niall noticed Harry wasn't in yet, he grabbed a cup of coffee and returned to catch up on the daily gossip.   
  
"Niall!"      
  
The blond jumped when Harry appeared beside him, his grin a flash of white and perfectly square teeth.   
  
"Good morning, Harry."      
  
"Is it ever. You're my lucky Irish charm I think, come with me. Can you work late tonight?"    
  
Niall followed him catching his excitement. "Sure."    
  
"I hoped you'd say that." He sank into his chair. Niall took the one he had sat in the day before and quickly opened his note pad.    
  
"So," he began, "We have received a letter from Kigna vodka and they mentioned me by name. First time that has ever happened."    
  
"Congrats!" Niall grins widely. "I appreciate that but let's save that for when we've actually landed the job from them and they want to meet with me tomorrow evening." The brunet bites at his nails as he stares at the ground in thought.   
  
"Is that timeline usual?" The blond asks.   
  
"No, usually they'd wait until they have actually said yes, but it's good business if we can get it. They know and they're making us jump through hoops, the first if which is meeting me."    
  
"Usually there would be a team. Right?"      
  
"Yes, we'd present as a group but they are used to the drill they know they'll get from working with a senior executive, then end up working with a junior like me. So they picked me out and now they want to meet me. But to be fair the whole things provides a lot more information." He ran a hand through his hair. "What do you think of Kigna vodka?"   
  
Niall huffs out a sigh, shaking his head. "Honestly, I like a drink and I've never heard of it."  
  
Harry fell back into his chair and laughed. "Thank fuck, I thought I was the only one. Well the plus side is that we know nothing and no news must mean good news."    
  
"What can I do to help? Besides research vodka and stay late."      
  
His lips pursed for moment as he thought about it. "Write this down..."  

  
  
They worked straight through lunch, which almost killed Niall and long after the office had emptied, he went over some initial data from strategists. It was a little after seven when Harry's iPhone rang, startling him due to the abrupt intrusion of silence. Harry activated the speaker and kept working. "Hey baby."      
  
"Have you fed that poor boy yet?" Demanded a warm voice over the line. Glancing at Niall through his glass office wall, Harry replied, "Ah, I forgot."   
  
Niall looked away quickly, biting his lower lip to hide his smile. A snort came clearly across the line. "Only two days on the job and you're already overworking him and starving him to death. He's going to quit."    
  
"Shit, you're right. Lou-"      
  
"Don't 'Lou' me. Does he like Chinese?" Niall gave Harry the thumbs up. He grinned. "Yes he does."     
  
"Alright. I'll be there in twenty minutes, let security know I'm coming."

 

Almost exactly twenty minutes after. Niall buzzed Louis Styles through the waiting area doors. Niall was surprised when he saw a man with piercings and tattoos along with dark skinny jeans, grey toms, with laughing blue eyes and brunette hair. He was just as good looking a his partner, just in a very different way. The three of them sat around Harry's desk and dumped Kung-pao chicken and broccoli beef onto paper plates then added helpings of rice before digging in with chopsticks.    
  
Niall discovered Louis was a tattoo artist and that he and Harry had originally hated each other at their first meeting of one another. The blond watched them interact and felt awe and a dash of envy. Their relationship was so beautiful that it was a joy to spend time with them.    
  
"Jesus," Louis said with a whistle as Niall ate his third helping. "You can _eat_ , where does it all go?" Niall shrugged. "To the gym with me. Maybe that helps?"      
  
"Don't mind him." Harry smiles. "Louis's just jealous since he has to watch his girlish figure."      
  
"Oi." Louis gasped, smacking Harry in the chest. "I might have to take him out, I could win money guessing on how much he can eat."      
  
Niall smiled. "That could be fun."      
  
"Ha. I knew you had a wild streak. It's in your smile." Looking down at his food, Niall refused to let his mind wander back to memories of his rebellious, self destructive phase. Harry saved him. "Stop harrasing him Lou! And what do you know about wild streaks?"    
  
"I know a few other things too, hey don't look too shocked, I wanted to see if being straight lived up to its hype!" Clearly this was news to Harry as his lips quirked into a smirk, he was secure enough in their relationship to find the whole thing amusing. "Oh?"    
  
"How'd that work out for you?" Niall asked bravely.   
  
Louis shrugged. "I don't want to say its overrated because I had a very small taste. But I can do without it."      
  
"Considering your current arrangement." Harry smiled kissing Louis on the cheek slightly before catching a stem of broccoli with his chopsticks. "I'd say that's a very good thing."    


By the time they finished eating it was and eight and the cleaners had arrived. Harry insisted calling him a taxi. "Should I come in early tomorrow?" Niall asked.   
  
Louis placed his chin on Harry's shoulder nuzzling into the side of Harry's neck. "You must of done something amazing to get this one Hazz."      
  
"I think putting up with you qualifies for everything." Harry smirked.    
  
"Hey!" Louis pouted lifting his head. "I'm house broken, I put the toilet seat down when your mummy visits." Harry shot Niall a look that was full of warm affection for his husband. "And that's helpful how, c'mon Louis, your tired." Harry smiled softly caressing Louis' hand as they walked out of the building together. 

  
Harry and Niall scrambled all Thursday to get ready for his four o'clock meeting with the team from Kigna. They grabbed an information packed lunch with the three creatives who would be participating in the pitch when it got to that point in the process then they went over notes on Kigna's web presence and existing social media outreach.    
  
Niall got a little nervous when three-thirty came, because he knew the traffic would be a bitch, but Harry kept working after Niall pointed out the time, it was quarter to four before he bounded out of his office with a broad smile, still shrugging on his jacket. "Join me, Niall."      
  
Niall blinked up at him from his desk. "Really?"      
  
"Hey you worked hard on helping me get prepared. Don't you want to see how it goes?"      
  
"Yes, absolutely." Niall pushed to his feet, knowing his appearance would be a reflection on his boss, Niall smoothed down his black trousers and straightened his cuffs. By a random twist of fate, Niall's crimson red shirt went perfectly with Harry's tie. "Thank you,"      
  
They headed out to the elevators and Niall was briefly startled when the elevator went up instead of down. When they reached the top floor, the waiting area they stepped into was larger and more ornate than the one on our floor. Hanging baskets full of lilies and roses fragranced the air and a smoky glass security entrance was sandblasted with a bold masculine font.    
  
 **Malik Industries** , it read.   
  
They were buzzed in and then asked to wait a moment, both of them declined the offer of water and coffee and then less than five minutes after they arrived, they were directed towards a closed conference room.  Harry looked at Niall with twinkling green eyes as the receptionist reached for the door handle. "Ready?"   
  
Niall smiled. "Ready."    
  
The door opened and Niall was gestured in first. He made sure to smile brightly as he stepped in. A smile that froze on his face at the sight of the man rising to his feet a his entrance.  
  
Niall's abrupt stop bottlenecked the threshold and Harry ran into his back, sending him stumbling forward. The hazel eyed man caught him by the waist, hauling him off his feet and directly into his chest. The air left Niall's lungs in a rush, followed immediately by all the common sense he possessed, even through all the layers of clothing between his biceps were like stone between Niall's palms, his stomach a hard slab of muscle against his own, when he sucked in a sharp intake of breath, Niall's cock tightened, stimulated by the expansion of his chest.    
  
 _Shit_. He was cursed, a rapid fire series of image flashed through his mind, showcasing a thousand ways he could stumble, fall, trip, skid or crash in front of the sex god over the days, weeks and months ahead. "Hello again." He murmured, the vibrations of his voice making Niall ache all over. "Always a pleasure running into you, Niall."      
  
The blond flushed with embarrassment and desire, unable to find the will to push away despite the other people in the room with him, it didn't help that _his_ attention was on him, his hard body radiating that impression of powerful demand.    
  
"Mr Malik." Harry said behind him. "Sorry about the entrance."      
  
"Don't be, it will be a memorable one." Malik shook his head, smiling down at the flushed boy still pressed to his chest.  
  
Niall wobbled on his feet when Malik set him down, his knees weakened from the full body contact. This time he was dressed in a black suit with both his shirt and tie a soft grey. As always, he looked stunning. What would it be like to be that good looking? There was no way he could anywhere without causing a disturbance.    
  
Reaching out Harry steadied Niall and eased him back gently. Malik's gaze stayed focused on Harry's hand at the blond's elbow until he was released.   
  
"Right. Okay then." Harry pulled himself together. "This is my assistant, Niall Horan."      
  
"We've met." Malik pulled out the chair next to his. "Niall," Niall looked at Harry for guidance, still recovering from the moments Niall'd spent plastered against the sexual superconductor in Armani. Malik leaned closer and ordered quietly. "Sit, Niall." Harry gave a small nod, but Niall was already lowering into the chair at Malik's command, his body obeying instinctively before his mind caught up and objected.    
  
Niall tried not to fidget for the next hour as Harry was grilled by Malik and the two Kigna directors, both of whom were attractive brunettes in blouses and black pencil skirts. The one in raspberry was especially enthusiastic about grabbing Malik's attention, while the one in cream focused intently on Harry. All three seemed impressed by Harry's ability to articulate how the agency's work – and his facilitation of it with the client – created provable value for the clients brand.      
  
"Well done, Mr. Styles," Malik praised lightly as they wrapped things up. "I look forward to giving you the acceptance when the time comes. What would entice you to try kigna, Niall?"    
  
Startled, Niall blinked. "Excuse me?"   
  
The intensity of his gaze was searing. It felt as if his entire focus was on him, which only reinforced Niall's respect for Harry, who'd had to work under the weight of that stare for an hour. Malik's chair was set parallel to the length of the table, facing him head on, his right arm rested on the smooth wooden surface, his long elegant fingers stroking rhythmically along the top. Niall caught a glimpse of his wrist at the end of his cuff and for reason the sight of that small area of golden skin with its light dusting if dark hair took his attention.   
  
He was just so.. _ugh_.   
  
"Which of Harry's suggested concepts do you prefer?" He asked again. "I think they're all brilliant.", was Niall's answer.

His beautiful face was impassive when he said, "I'll clear this room to get your honest opinion if I have to."      
  
Niall's fingers curled around the chairs armrests. "I just gave you my honest thoughts, Mr. Malik, but if you must know I think sexy luxury on a budget will appeal to the largest demographic. But I lack–"    
  
"I agree." Malik stood and buttoned his jacket. "You have a direction Mr. Styles, we will revisit next week."   
  
Niall sat for a moment stunned by the breakneck pace of events, then he looked at Harry who seemed to be wavering from astonishment to joy and bewilderment. Rising to his feet, Niall led the way to the door. The blond was hyper aware of Malik walking beside him. The way he moved with animal grace and arrogant economy, was a major turn on, Niall couldn't imagine him not fucking well and being aggressive about it. Taking what he wanted in a way that made anyone wild to give it to him. Malik stayed with him all the way to the row of elevators he said a few things to Harry about football. Niall was too focused on the way he was reacting to him to care about the small talk. When the elevator arrived, Niall breathed a sigh of relief and hastily stepped forward with Harry.    
  
"A moment, Niall." Malik said smoothly, holding him back with a hand at his elbow. "He'll be right down," he told Harry as the elevator doors closed on his boss' confused face. Malik said nothing until the elevator was on its way down; then he pressed the button again and asked, "Are you sleeping with anyone?"      
  
The question was asked so casually it took Niall a second to process what he said. He inhaled sharply. "Why is that any business of yours?"      
  
Malik looked at him and Niall saw what he'd had seen the first time they had met, tremendous power and steely control, both of which had Niall taking a step back again, at least he didn't fall this time, that would of just been awkward, he was making progress.  
  
"Because I want to fuck you Niall, and I need to know what's standing in my way, if anything."  
  
The sudden ache in his groin had Niall reaching for the wall to maintain his balance. He reached out to steady him, but Niall held him at bay with an uplifted hand. "Maybe I'm just not interested, Mr. Malik." A ghost of a smile touched his lips that made him impossibly more handsome. The ding that signalled the approaching elevator made Niall jump, he was strung so tight, Niall had never been so aroused, the blond prayed Malik wouldn't notice his slight hard on, Niall'd never been so lusted after.    
  
He smiled. "Until next time Niall."  The doors closed and Niall sagged into the brass handrail to regain his breathing. Niall had barely pulled himself together when the doors opened and revealed Harry pacing in the waiting area on our floor.   
  
"Jesus, Niall." Harry muttered, coming to a abrupt halt. "What the hell was that?"    
  
"I have no bloody idea." Niall exhaled in a rush, wishing he could share the confusing, irritating exchange Niall had with Malik, but well aware his boss wasn't the appropriate person. "Who cares? You know he's going to give you the account."    
  
A grin chased away his frown. "I'm thinking he might."    
  
"As my roommate always says, you should celebrate, should I make dinner reservations for you and Louis?"  

"Why not? Pure food and wine at seven, if they can squeeze us in, if not, surprise us." They'd barely returned to Harry's office when he was pounced on by the vice chairman and executive chairman. Niall went straight over to his desk and called pure food and wine and begged for a table of two. After some serious grovelling pleading the hostess finally gave in.  

Niall left Harry a voice mail: "It's definitely your lucky day, you're booked for seven. Have fun!"

Then he checked out, eager to get home.


	3. It's getting hotter

Friday started out amazing, Harry walked Niall through collecting information about Kigna and told him a bit more about Malik industries and Zayn Malik, pointing out that Malik was only two years older.   
  
"I have to remind my self that." Harry said. "It's easy to forget he's so young when he's right in front of you."   
  
"Yes," Niall agreed, secretly disappointed that he wouldn't see Malik for the next two days. As much as he told himself it didn't matter, Niall was knackered. He hadn't realised he'd been excited by the possibility that they might run into each other until that possibility was gone. It was just such a rush being near him. Plus he was a lot of fun to look at, Niall had nothing nearly as exciting planned for the weekend.  
  
Niall was taking notes in Harry's office when he heard his desk phone ringing. Excusing myself, Niall rushed over to catch it. "Harry Styles office-"   
  
"Niall, love. How are you?"    
  
Niall sank into his chair at the sound of my stepfather's voice. Cowell always sounded like old money to him – cultured, entitled and arrogant. "Simon. Is everything okay? Is mum alright?"   
  
"Yes. Everything's fine. Your mother is wonderful, as always." His tone softened when he spoke of his wife and Niall was grateful for that. He was grateful to him for a lot of things, actually, but it was sometimes hard to balance his feelings of disloyalty. Niall knew his dad was self conscious about the massive differences in their pay checks.   
  
"Good," Niall said, relieved. "I'm glad. Did you and mum get the thank you note for mine and Liam's suits?"    
  
"Yes, and it was very thoughtful of you, but you know we don't expect thanks for the gifts we get you. Excuse a moment." He spoke to someone, most likely his secretary. "Niall, I'd love for us to get together for lunch today. I'll send Tom around to collect you."   
  
"Today? But we will be seeing each other tomorrow night. Can it not wait till then?"    
  
"No, it should be today."    
  
"But I only get an hour for lunch."  
  
A tap on his shoulder turned Niall around to find Louis smiling. "Take two," he whispered. "You deserved it and before you say, I've informed Harry."    
  
Niall sighed and mouthed a thank you. "Will twelve o' clock work, Simon?"    
  
"Perfectly, I look forward to seeing you."  
  
Niall had no reason to look forward to private meetings with Simon, but he dutifully left just before noon and found a car waiting for him on the curb. Tom, Simon's driver and bodyguard opened the door for Niall as he greeted him, then Tom slid behind the wheel and drove the blond down Covent gardens. By twenty minutes, Niall was sitting at a conference table in Simons offices, eyeing a beautiful meal for two. Simon came shortly after his arrival, looking distinguished and glowing. He still looked exactly the same as he did the day Niall first met him.   
  
He stood as Simon approached, he bent and kissed his cheek. "You look good, Niall."    
  
"Thank you." He looked like his mother, who unlike him was a natural blonde but his eyes came from his dad. Taking a chair at the head of the table. "Eat." He said, with the command so easily wielded by all men of power. Men like Zayn Malik.  _Had Simon just been the same at Zayn's age?_  
  
Niall picked up his fork and started on a chicken salad, it was delicious and like usual he was hungry, Niall was glad Simon didn't start talking right away so he could enjoy the meal, but that didn't last for long. "Niall, love, I wanted to discuss your interest in kickboxing."   
  
He froze. "Excuse me?    
  
Simon took a sip of iced water and leaned back, his jaw taking on the rigidity that warned Niall that he wouldn't like what he was about to say. "Your mother was quite distraught about it, it took a while to calm her down, she doesn't want –"   
  
"Wait." Niall set his fork down, his appetite gone. "How did she know where I was?"   
  
"She tracked your phone."    
  
"No way." Niall breathed, deflating into his seat, his reply was as though it was the most natural thing in the world, it made the blond feel ill, his stomach churned. "That's why she insisted I use one of your company phones. It had nothing to do with saving money." Niall realised.   
  
"Of course that was part of it, but it also gives her peace of mind."    
  
Niall scoffs. "Peace on mind? To spy on her grown son? It's not healthy, Simon, you have got to see that. Is she still seeing her doctor?" 

He began to look uncomfortable. "Yes, of course."    
  
"Is she telling him what she's doing?"   
  
"I don't know." He coddled her, indulged her, spoiled her and allowed her obsession with Niall's safety run wild. "That's Maura's private business. I don't interfere."    
  
"She has to let it go, I've let it go."    
  
"You were innocent Niall, she feels guilty for not protecting you. We need to understand this."  
  
"Understand? She's a stalker!" Niall's mind spun, how could his mum invade his privacy like that? She was driving herself crazy, and Niall along with her. "This has to stop."    
  
"It's an easy fix, I've already spoken to Tom. He'll drive you when you need to venture around London. Everything has been arranged. It will be easier this way."   
  
"Don't try to twist this around to being for my benefit," blue eyes stung and his throat burned with unshed tears of frustration. Niall hated the way he talked to him about London, as though he wasn't able to care for himself. "I'm a grown man, I'll make my own fucking decisions!"   
  
"Don't you take that tone with me, Niall, I'm simply looking after you and your mother." His face was void of emotion.   
  
Niall pushed back from the table. "You're making me feel sick, you're allowing her to do this."    
  
"Sit down, you need to eat Niall."   
  
Niall dropped his napkin on the table. "I need to go back to work."  
  
Niall turned away, striding toward the door to get away as fast as possible. The younger placed his phone on the front desk and Tom followed him. Niall knew better than to tell him to piss off, he didn't take orders from anyone but Simon.

  
His mood was still dark when he got back. As Tom pulled away from the curb, Niall stood on the crowded path and looked up and down the street for a corner shop where I could get some chocolate or an apple store to buy a new phone.   
  
He ended up walking into Londis and took a handful of Mars bars and headed back to work, Niall needed work to distract him from his fucked up family.  
  
As he got to the empty elevator, Niall ripped open a chocolate bar and bit viciously into it, he hit the twentieth floor when the elevator stopped. The door slid apart to reveal Zayn Malik talking with two other gentlemen. As usual, Niall lost his breath at the sight of him, which reignited the blond's irritation.   
  
 _Why did he have this effect on me? When was I going to be immune?_  
  
He glanced over and his lips turned into a slow heartwarming smile when he saw. Niall smiled uncomfortable back.   
  
 _Just my luck, I'd become some kind of challenge._  
  
Zayn's smile turned into a frown. "We'll finish this later," he murmured to his companions without breaking eye contact.   
  
Stepping next to Niall he lifted a hand to stop them from following. They blinked in surprise glancing at the smaller man and then back to Malik and then back again.   
  
Niall stepped out, deciding it would be safer for him to get the next one up. "Not so fast, Niall." Malik caught him by the elbow and tugged him back, the doors shut and the elevator glided smoothly into motion.  
  
"What are you doing?" Niall snapped, after dealing with Simon, the last thing he needed was Zayn trying to push him around. Zayn caught him by the upper arms and searched his face with a vivid caramel gaze. "Something's wrong, what is it?"    
  
The now familiar electricity cracked into life between the two, the pull made fiercer by Niall's anger, "You."   
  
"Me?" His thumbs stroked over the younger's shoulders, his towering height making Niall feel small. Releasing him, Zayn withdrew a key from his pocket and plugged it into the panel. All the lights cleared except for the one for the top floor. He wore a soft grey suit this time, seeing him from behind was a revelation. His shoulders were nicely broad without being bulky, emphasising his lean waist and long legs, his hair styles differently to before, this time only parts were spiked leaving his fringe flat against his forehead.  
  
Niall wanted to wrap his fingers in it. He wanted to make him angry like he was. Niall wanted a fight.  
  
"I'm not in the mood for you at the moment Mr. Malik."   
  
Zayn smirked. "I can get you in the mood."    
  
"I'm not interested."    
  
Malik glanced over his shoulder at him. His suit suited his warm brown eyes perfectly along with his golden skin. The effect was striking. "No lies, Niall. _Ever_."    
  
"That's not a lie. So what if I'm attracted to you? I expect most people are." The blond placed the rest of his chocolate in the carrier bag. He didn't need it when he was sharing air with Zayn Malik. "But I'm not interested in doing anything about it."    
  
He faced Niall then, turning in a pivot, that ghost of a smile softening his lips, his ease and unconcern aggravated Niall even more. "Attraction is such a tame word for –" he gestured at the space between. "– _this_."   
  
"Call me crazy, but I actually have to like someone before I get naked and sweaty with him." Niall narrowed his eyes.   
  
"Not crazy." He said. "But I don't have the time to date."    
  
"That makes two of us, glad we got that cleared up." He stepped closer, his hand lifting Niall's face. He forced himself not to move or give him the satisfaction of seeing him intimidated. His thumb brushed over the corner of Niall's mouth, then lifted to his own, he sucked on the pad and purred. "Chocolate and you. _Delicious_."  
  
A shiver moved through Niall's spine, followed by an ache in his groin as he imagined licking chocolate off Zayn's lethally sexy body. His gaze darkened as the elevator pulled to a halt, he pulled out the key and the doors opened.   
  
"I'm really not interested." Niall said as he backed into the corner and shooed him with a flick of his wrist.   
  
"We'll discuss." Malik caught him by the elbow and gently urged him out. Niall went along because he liked the charge he got from being around him and because he was curious to see what he had to say when he had more than five minutes of Niall's time.   
  
He was buzzed through security easily, the pretty redhead at the front desk was about to talk but he shook his head impatiently. Her mouth snapped shut and she stared at Niall with her eyes wide, as they passed in a fast pace. The walk to his office was short. His secretary stood when he saw his boss approach but remained silent when he saw he wasn't alone.    
  
"Hold my calls, Scott." Malik said, steering Niall into his office through the open glass double doors.    
  
Despite the blond's irritation, Niall couldn't help but be impressed with Zayn's spacious area. Floor to ceiling windows over looked the city on two sides, with a wall of glass that faced the rest of the office. There were three seating areas, all larger than Harry's entire office, and a bar that showcased jewelled crystal counters, which provided the only spots of colour in a palette that was otherwise black, grey and white.  
  
Malik hit a button his desk that closed the doors, then another that frosted the clear glass wall, shielding us from the view of his employees. With the dark film on the windows, privacy was assured. He shrugged out of his jacket and hooked it on the coatrack. Then he returned to where Niall'd remained just inside the doors. "Something to drink, Niall?"    
  
"No, thank you." God he was even yummier in just a white shirt, his sleeves pulled up to his elbows and his tattoos visible. Niall could see now just how sculpted he was. How strong his shoulders were. How beautifully his biceps flexed as he moved. He gestured towards the black leather sofa. "Have a seat."    
  
"I have to go back to work."   
  
"And I have a meeting at two, as soon as we work this out, the quicker we can both get back to business. Now, sit down?"    
  
"What do you think we are going to work out?" Sighing, he scooped Niall up and carried him to the sofa, Niall making no protests against it. He dropped the blond on his arse then sat next to him. "Your objections and arrogance. It's time to discuss what it will take to get you beneath me."    
  
"A miracle." Niall pushed back from him, widening the space between as he tugged down his shirt. "I find your approach too forward."    
  
And a major turn on but Niall wasn't going to admit that.  
  
Malik looked at him through narrowed eyes. "It may be blunt, but it's honest, you don't strike me as the kind of man who wants bullshit and flattery instead of the truth."   
  
"What I want, is to be seen more than just a blow up doll."    
  
Malik's eye brows shot up. "Well, then."    
  
"Are we done?" Niall stood. He shook his head and pulled Niall down with a firm grip on the blond's wrist. It's clear Zayn didn't want to let him go just yet. "Hardly, we've established some talking points: we have an intense sexual attraction and neither of us want a relationship. So what do you want, exactly? Seduction, Niall? Do you want to be seduced?"  
  
Niall was fascinated but appalled by the conversation but yet tempted. It was so hard not to be while faced with such a gorgeous man, so determined to get hot and sweaty with him. Still, the dismay won out. "Sex that is planned is a huge turn off for me."   
  
"But that allows it to have no disappointments." Zayn argued.   
  
"Are you kidding?" He scowled. "Listen to yourself. Why even call it a fuck, why not call it Zayn's seminal emission for his penis in my arsehole?"    
  
He pissed Niall off by throwing his head back in laughter. The throaty sound flowed over him like a rush of warm water. His earthy amusement made him less sex god and more human. Pure flesh and blood, he was _real_. Niall pushed to his feet and backed out of his reach. "Casual sex doesn't have to include roses and wine but it should always be personal, friendly even, with mutual respect at the very least."   
  
His humour fled as he stood, eyes darkening. "There are no mixed signals in my private affairs. You want me to blur that line. I can't think of a good reason to."   
  
"I don't want you to do anything, besides let me get back to work." Niall strode to the doors and yanked the handle, cursing softly when it didn't budge. "Let me out, Malik."  
  
Niall felt him come up behind him. His palms pressed flat against the glass on either side of his shoulders, caging him in. Niall couldn't think of his own self preservation when he was this close.  
  
The strength and demand of his will exuded an almost tangible force field. When he stepped close enough, it surrounded him, closing him in with him. Everything outside that bubble ceased to exist, while inside it Niall's entire body strained towards his. That he had such a profound, visceral effect on him while being so irritating had the blond's head spinning.   
  
 _How could I be so turned on by a man whose words should've completely turned me off?_  
  
"Turn around, Niall."  
  
Niall's eyes closed against the surge of arousal he felt at his authoritative tone. _God_ , he smelled _good_. His powerful frame radiated heat and hunger, spurring his own wild desire. The uncontrollable response was intensified by his lingering frustration with Simon and his more recent aggravation with Malik himself.  
Niall wanted him. _Bad_.   
  
 _But he wasn't good for me_ , Niall thought. _Honestly I could mess up my life on my own. I didn't need any help._  
  
Niall's flushed forehead touched the air conditioned glass. "Let it go, Malik."  
  
"I am. You're too much trouble." Lips brushed behind his ear. One of his hands pressed flat to Niall's stomach, the fingers urging him closer. He was as aroused as Niall was, his manhood hard and thick against Niall's lower back. 

"Turn around and say good bye." Disappointed and regretful, Niall turned in his grip, sagging against the door to cool his back. Zayn was curved over him, his hair framing his beautiful face, his forearm propped against the door to bring him closer. Niall almost had no room to breathe. The hand he'd had at Niall's waist was now resting on his hip, tightening reflexively and driving him mad. He stared, his gaze intense.  
  
"Kiss me," he said hoarsely. "Give me _that_ much, Niall."   
  
Panting softly, Niall licked his dry lips. Zayn groaned, tilted his head and sealed their lips together desperately. Niall was shocked by how soft his firm lips were and the gentleness of the pressure he applied. Niall sighed and Malik's tongue dipped into his mouth, tasting him in long, leisurely licks. His kiss was confident, skilled, and just the right amount of aggression. Niall's hands were in his hair. He pulled at the silky strands, using them to direct his mouth over his. Zayn growled, deepening the kiss, stroking over Niall's tongue with his. Niall felt Zayn's heartbeat against his chest, proof he was enjoying this as much as him and it wasn't just Niall's imagination.  
  
Zayn pushed away from the door. Cupping the back of Niall's head and the curve of his backside, he lifted him off his feet. "I want you Niall. Trouble or not. I can't stop." Niall was pressed full-body into him, he kissed him back as if he could eat him alive. His skin was damp and too sensitive. His cock throbbed for attention, pounding along with his heartbeat.  
  
Niall was vaguely aware of movement, then he was pressed against the sofa. Zayn was levered over him with one knee on the cushion and his other foot on the floor. His left arm supported his body while his right hand gripped the back of the blond's knee, sliding upward along Niall's trouser leg in a firmly possessive glide.  
  
His breath hissed out when he reached the point of Niall's groin. Zayn tore his gaze away from his and looked down, pulling his trousers down to bare him from the waist down.  
  
"Fuck, Niall." A low rumble vibrated in his chest, sending goosebumps racing across pale skin. "Your boss is lucky he's married."  
  
In a daze, Niall watched Zayn's body lower to his, pale legs sliding apart to accommodate his hips. Niall's muscles strained with the urge to arch towards him, the hasten the contact between them that he'd been craving since he first laid eyes on him. Lowering his head, he took the younger's mouth again, bruising his lips with a fine edge of violence, his stubble rubbing against Niall's jaw in the most pleasurable way.  
  
Abruptly, he yanked himself away, stumbling to his feet.  
  
Niall lay there gasping and hard, so willing and ready. Then Niall realised why he reacted so suddenly.   
  
Someone was behind him.


	4. Love, there's nothing here to fear

Mortified by the sudden intrusion into their privacy, Niall scrambled up and back into the armrest, yanking down his shirt.

"Two o'clock appointment is here."

It took an endless moment to realise Zayn and him were still alone in the room, that the voice he'd heard came from the speaker. Zayn stood at the far end of the sofa, flushed and scowling his chest heaving. The fly of his trousers strained against his impressive erection.

"Christ," he shoved both hands through his hair. "It's the middle of tell fucking day, in my office."

He looked at Niall and smiled softly. "Here." He came to the blond, pulling down his trousers.

"Stop it. Leave me alone."

"Shut up for once, Niall." He said grimly, catching the hem of his black shirt and tugging it into place adjusting it so the buttons once again formed in a straight row down Niall's chest, he then pulled up the boy's trousers before tucking hid shirt back in. Smoothing his trousers down slightly. "Fix your hair."

Zayn retrieved his jacket once he replaced his dress shirt and adjusted his tie.

They reached the door at the same time, and when Niall crouched to fix my shoe, Zayn lowered with him. "Hey." He said softly.

The blond jerked his chin away. "Do I look okay?"

"You look gorgeous, and fuckable, trust me. I would do anything just to take you back to the sofa and have my way with you until you're begging me to stop."

Niall smiled. "You sound like you're from some eighties porno, Zayn."

He chuckles. "Meet me here a five?"

The younger shook his head. "This doesn't change anything, Zayn."

"The fuck it doesn't."

"Don't be arrogant, Zayn. I lost my head for a moment, don't think it will happen again."

His fingers curled around the door handle. "It will happen again and you want it to, you just don't want it how I want it." Niall set his hand on Zayn's and yanked on the handle, ducking under his arm to squeeze out the door.

The woman and two men with Zayn's secretary gaped. Niall heard Zayn speaking behind him, "Scott will show you into my office. I'll just be a minute."

By the time Zayn got to him, Niall was already in the elevator. Just before the door closed he looked the blond in the eyes.

"We will happen, Niall." It sounded as much like a threat as a promise.

* * *

As Niall got to his desk a little after five due to running over things with Harry, the phone on his desk rang, Niall contemplated ignoring the phone but he felt a strong urge to answer it. Like something was forcing him to, pulling him in. Niall answered with his usual greeting but it lacked its usual punch.

"I'm still thinking about you."

The velvet rasp of Zayns voice flooded Niall with such relief that he realised he'd been hoping to hear again. Today. The craving for him was so acute Niall knew Zayn'd become a drug to his body.

"I can still feel you, Niall. Still taste you on my tongue. I've been hard since you left, through two meetings and one conference. You've got an advantage, state your demands."

"Ah, let me think." Niall paused.

He waited a moment, smiling. "Hmm, nothing came to mind. But I do have some friendly advice, go find someone who will fuck you until neither of you can walk. When you see me on Monday you'll be totally over it and your life will return to its usual obsessive compulsive order."

The creak of leather sounded over the phone and Niall could imagine him leaning into his chair, "That was your one free pass Niall, the next time you insult intelligence, I'll take you over my knee."

"I don't like that sort of thing." Despite the warning it aroused the blond fucking loads. "We'll discuss, in the interim, tell me what you do like."

Niall stood. "You definitely have the voice for phone sex, but I've got to go, I have a date with my vibrator. Good bye for now, Mr. Malik, don't miss me too much."

Niall should've put the phone down but this was so much fun. "Oh, _Niall_." Zayn spoke his name in a purr. "You're determined to drive me to my knees, aren't you? Which I would definitely do for you. What will it take to talk you into a threesome with it?"

Niall ignored his question and slung his bag over his shoulder. "Me and my vibrator have a long term understanding. We know which one of us is being used. Goodnight, Zayn."

Niall hung up and took the stairs hoping that meant not running into him.

—

"God it's good to be home."

Liam stepped into the hallway where Niall was kicking off his shoes. "Yeah well don't get too comfy, we, my friend, are going clubbing tonight."

"Whatever. Let me take a shower and we will go.

* * *

Niall threw himself into clubbing like it was going out of style. He grabbed a drink when a tall blonde walked over to Liam, whispering stuff into his ear that had him blushing. Their conversation didn't last long due to her almost throwing up on Liam's shoes.

Two guys stopped at their table. "Okay if we join you?" They looked like brothers and they were very attractive. Both were smiling and confident, their stances loose and easy.

Niall was about to say sure, when a warm hand settled on his collar bone and rubbed his neck. "This one's taken."

Across from him, Liam gaped as Zayn Malik rounded the sofa and extended his hand to him. "Payne, Zayn Malik."

"Liam Payne." He shook Zayns hand with a wide smile. "But you knew that. Nice to meet you, I've heard a lot about you." Niall could've killed him, he seriously thought about it.

"Good to know." Zayn settled on the seat beside the younger boy, his arm draped up behind him so that his fingertips could brush casually and possessively up and down Niall's arm. "Maybe there's hope for me yet."

Twisting at the waist, Niall faced him and whispered fiercely, "What are you doing?"

Zayn shot him a hard glance. "Whatever it takes."

"I'm going to dance." Liam stood with a mischievous grin. "Be back in a bit."

Ignoring Niall's pleading glance, his best friend blew him a kiss and the guys followed him, Niall watched them all go. His heart racing, after another minute, ignoring Zayn became ridiculous, as well as impossible.

The blond's gaze slid over him. He wore a black v-neck shirt along with his leather jacket and skinny jeans. Niall loved the look on him and was attracted to the bad boy look it gave.

Niall took a deep breath, feeling like he needed to make an effort to socialise with him. After all, wasn't that his big complaint? That he wanted to skip past the getting to know you stage and jump straight into bed?

"You look." Niall paused. Fantastic. Wonderful. Amazing. _So damn sexy.._ In the end, he went with the lamest thing his brain ever produced. "I like the way you look."

His brow arched. "Ah, something you like about me. Is it the general like of the overall package? Or just the clothes? Maybe the shirt? Or maybe it's the jeans?"

The edge of his tone rubbed in the wrong way. "And if I say it's the shirt?"

"I'll buy a dozen and wear them everyday." He sounded playful, but his gaze was serious. 

"That would be a shame."

"You don't like the shirt?" He was pissy, his words coming clipped and fast. Niall's hands flexed restlessly in his lap. "I like the shirt, but I love the suit." Zayn stared at him for a minute and then nodded. "How was the date?"

_Oh shit_ , Niall looked away. It was a lot easier talking about masturbation over the phone. Doing it under that piercing golden stare was mortifying. "I don't kiss and tell."

He brushed the backs of his fingers over Niall's cheek and murmured, "You're blushing."

Niall heard the amusement in his voice and quickly changed topics. "Do you come here often?"

Shit. Where did that cliche line come from?

Zayn's hand dropped in his lap and caught one of his, tan fingers curling into Niall's palm. "When necessary."

A quick stab of jealousy made him stiffen and more than likely pull a face like Raven when she had one of her visions. Zayn burst into laughter. "Niall, I own this club, I'm not on the prowl."

Of course he did. _Jeez_.

Niall's nerves tingled as he watched him take a drink, swirl it around like it was a fine wine. And then swallow it. The working of his throat made Niall hard.

"Not bad." He murmured. "Tell me if we made it right."

Malik kissed him, he moved in fast, but Niall saw it coming and didn't turn away. His mouth was cold and flavoured with alcohol-laced cranberry, delicious. All the chaotic emotion and energy that had been writhing around him abruptly became too much to contain, the blond shoved a hand in his glorious hair and clenched it tight holding him as Niall sucked his tongue. His groans were the most erotic sound Niall'd ever heard, making his erection more prominent.

Shocked by the fury of his reaction, Niall wrenched away, gasping. Zayn followed, nuzzling the side of Niall's face, pink lips brushing over his ear. He was breathing hard too, and the sound of the ice in his glass skittered across Niall's inflamed senses.

"I need to be inside you Niall." He whispered roughly. "I'm aching for you." His gaze fell to his drink on the table, his thoughts swirling around in his head. "How did you know?"

Zayn's tongue traced the shell of his ear and Niall shivered. It felt like every cell in his body was straining towards Zayn's. Resisting him took an impossible amount of energy, draining him and making Niall tired.

"Know what?" He asked.

"What I like to drink? What Liam's name is?"

He inhaled deeply and pulled away. Setting his drink down, he shifted on the sofa and brought a knee up so he was facing Niall directly. His arm once again draping over the sofa back, he was about to speak but Niall said it for him. "You own the building I live in?"

"Oddly enough, yes." Malik moved to sit on the table, facing him and then warmed Niall's hands with his."

"Are you crazy, Zayn?"

"Is that a serious question?"

Niall blinks. "Yes. Yes it is. Because my mum stalks me too, she sees a shrink. Do you see a shrink?"

"Not at the moment, but you make me want to go and see one."

Niall stared at him for a moment, cheeks pinking. Was he implying that he drove Zayn crazy? Malik's eyes darted over his face. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm thinking."

"About what?" His jaw tightened. "And I'm warning you, if say anything about shrinks, I won't be held accountable for my actions."

That almost made Niall smile. "I want to understand a few things because I feel I'm not giving you enough credit."

"I'd like to understand a few things myself." He muttered, leaning closer.

"I'm guessing the 'I want to fuck you' approach has a high success rate for you?" Zayn's face smoothed into a smile. "I'm not touching that one Niall."

"Okay. You want to figure what it's going to take to get me into bed. Is that why you're here in this club right now? Because of me?"

His gaze was clear and steady. "I'm here for you, yes I arranged it."

"Did you think bringing me here would get you laid?" His mouth twitched in amusement.

"Of course." His legs tightened around Niall's, capturing him. "Where are you going with this?"

"I told you I don't want a date, and I don't. My job is my priority number one and and my personal life as a single gay man is a close second. I don't want to sacrifice any of that time on a relationship and there not really enough left over to squeeze in anything steady."

"I'm right there with you." Zayn nods.

"But I like sex." Niall adds

"Good. Have it with me." His smile was an erotic invitation.

Niall shoved his shoulder, smiling as Zayn chuckles. "No, stupid. I need a personal connection with the men I sleep with, it doesn't have to be intense or deep, but sex needs to be more than an emotionless transaction for me."

Zayn arches a dark brow. "Why?"

Niall could tell he wasn't being flippant. As bizarre as this conversation must be for him, Zayn was taking this seriously.

"Call it one of my quirks, and I'm not saying that lightly. It pisses me off to feel used for sex. I feel like a whore." Niall bites his lip and he can feel Zayn's eyes fall on the action. "Can't you look at it as you using me for sex?"

"Not with you." He was too forceful, too demanding. A sizzling predatory glimmer sparked in his eyes as Niall bared his weakness to him.

"Besides." Niall went on quickly, "I need an equal exchange in my sexual relationships. Or to have the upper hand."

Zayn stays silent before nodding. "Okay."

"Okay? You said that quickly considering I'm telling you I need to combine two things you worked so hard to avoid putting together."

"I'm not comfortable with it and I don't claim to understand, but I'm hearing you. It's an issue. Tell me how to get around it."

Niall's breath left him in a rush. He wasn't expecting that. Malik was a man who wanted no complications with his sex and Niall was one who found sex complicated, but he wasn't giving up yet.

"We need to be friendly, Zayn. Not best buds or anything but two people who know more about each other than their anatomy. To me that means spending time together when we are not fucking and I'm afraid we'll have to spend time not fucking in places where we are forced to restrain ourselves." The blond explains, Zayn's stare intense. "Isn't that what we are doing now?"

"Yes. And see? That's what I mean. I wasn't giving you credit for that. You should've done it in a less creepy manner." Niall covered his lips with his fingers when he tried to speak. "But I admit, you did try to set up a time to talk and it wasn't very helpful."

He nipped Niall's fingers with his teeth, making him yelp and pout. "Hey! What was that for."

He lifted Niall's abused hand to his mouth and kissed the hurt, his tongue darted out to soothe. And incite, in self defence, Niall placed his hand back into his lap. "Just so you know there are no exaggerated expectations, when you and I spend time together not having sex, I won't think it's a date. Alright?"

"That covers it." Zayn smiled. Niall's decision to be with him solidified him (in more ways than needed). His smile was like lightning in the darkness, blinding and beautiful and mysterious, and Niall wanted him so badly it was physically painful.

His hand slid down to cup the back of the younger's thighs, he tugged Niall a bit closer so he was almost on his lap. Zayn sucked in his bottom lip. An action so small yet Niall couldn't control his groan. Malik smirked and rubbed the blond's legs.

He'd already had enough, but Niall heard himself saying, "I need another drink."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Niall just agreed to casual sex with Zayn, what do you think's gonna happen next? 
> 
> Thank you so much for the kudos!   
> Comments would be great as well.


	5. I'll be gentle, don't you scream

Niall had a vicious hangover on Saturday morning and figured it was no less than he deserved. As much as he'd resented Zayn's insistence on negotiating sex with as much passion as he would a merger, in the end Niall negotiated in kind. Because he wanted Zayn enough to take a risk and break his own rules.

Niall took comfort in knowing Malik was breaking down some of his own, too.

After a long, hot shower, Niall made his way into the living room and found Liam on the sofa with his MacBook, looking fresh and alert.

Smelling coffee in the kitchen, the blond headed there and filled the biggest mug he could find.

"Morning, sleepyhead." Liam called out.

With Niall's much needed dose of caffeine wrapped between his palms, He joined Liam on the couch.

He pointed at a box on the end table. "That came for you whilst you were in the shower."

Niall set his mug on the coffee table and picked up the box. It was wrapped with brown paper and string and had his name handwritten diagonally across the top with a decorative calligraphic flourish. Inside was an amber glass bottle with ' _ **HANGOVER CURE**_ ' painted on it in a white old fashioned font and a note tied with raffia to the bottles neck that said: drink me. Zayn's business card was nestled in the cushioning tissue paper.

As he studied the gift, Niall found it very apt. Since meeting Zayn he'd felt like he'd fell down the rabbit hole into a fascinating and seductive world where few of the known rules applied. Niall was uncharted territory that was both exciting and scary.

The blond glanced at Liam who eyed the bottle dubiously. "Cheers." He pried off the cork and drank the contents without thinking twice about it. It tasted like sickly sweet cough syrup. His stomach quivered in distaste for a moment and then heated. Niall wiped his mouth with the back of gus hand and shoved the cork back into the empty bottle.

"What was that?" Liam asked.

"From the burn, it's hair of the dog."

His nose wrinkled. "Effective but unpleasant."

And it was working. He already felt a little steadier.

Liam picked up the box and dug out Zayn's card, flipping it over, then held it out to the younger boy. On the back Zayn had written _call me_ in bold slashing penmanship and jotted down a number.

Niall took the card, curling his hand around it. Malik's gift was proof that he was thinking about Niall. His tenacity and focus were seductive. And flattering.

There was no denying Niall was in trouble where Zayn was concerned.

The blond craved the way he felt when Zayn touched him, loved the way he responded when Niall touched him back. When the younger tried to think of what he wouldn't agree to do to have Zayn's hands on him again, Niall couldn't come up with much.

When Liam tried to hand him the phone, he shook his head. "Not yet. I need a clear head when dealing with him, and I'm still fuzzy."

Liam nods before smirking, "You two seemed cozy last night, he's definitely into you." He said, eyebrows bouncing.

"I'm definitely into him." Curling into the corner of the couch, Niall pressed his cheek into the cushion and hugged his legs to his chest. "We're going to hang out, get to know each other, have casual but physically intense sex and be otherwise completely independent. No strings, no expectations, no responsibilities."

Liam hit a button on his MacBook and the printer on the other side of the room started spitting out pages. Then he snapped the computer closed, set it on the table and gave Niall all his attention. "Maybe it'll turn into something serious."

The blond's eyes darkened before he shook the memories away, "Maybe not." He scoffed.

"Cynic." Liam snorted.

"I'm not looking for a happily ever after, Liam, especially not with someone like Malik. I've seen what it's like for my mum being connected to powerful men. It's a full time job with a part time companion. Money keeps mum happy, but it wouldn't be enough for me."

Niall's dad loved his mum. He'd asked her to marry him and share his life, but she turned him down because he didn't have the hefty portfolio and sizable bank account she required in a husband. Love wasn't a requisite for marriage in Maura Cowell's opinion, and since her sultry eyed, breathy voiced beauty was irrisistable to most men, she'd never had to settle for less than what she wanted. Unfortunately she hasn't wanted his dad for the long haul.

Glancing at the clock, Niall saw it was ten thirty. "I guess I should get ready."

"I love spa day with your mum." Liam smiled, and it chased the lingering shadows on the blond's mood away. "I feel like a god when we're done."

"Me too." They were so eager to be off that they went downstairs to meet the car rather than wait for front desk to call up.

The doorman smiled as the two stepped outside, Niall in black and white shirt with a blue short sleeve over and Liam in hip hugging jeans and a tank top, showing off his bulging muscles.

"Good evening, Mr. Horan, Mr. Payne. Will you need a taxi today?"

"No thanks Paul. We're expecting a car." Liam grinned. "It's spa day at Perrini's!"

"Ah, Perrini's day spa." Paul gave a sage nod. "I brought my wife a gift card for our anniversary, she enjoyed it so much I plan to make it a tradition."

"You did good Paul." Niall said "Pampering woman never goes out of style."

"How would you know, Niall?" Liam laughed before a black range rover pulled up with Tom at the wheel. Paul opened the rear door for the two and they climbed in, squealing when they found a box of Thornton's chocolates on the seat. Waving at Paul, they settled back and dug in. Taking tiny nibbles of the truffles that were worth savouring slowly.

Tom drove the two friends straight to Perrini's, where the relaxation starts from the moment one walked in the door. Crossing the entrance was like taking a vacation on the far side of the world. Every arched doorway was framed by lushly vibrant striped silks, while jewelled pillows decorated elegant oversized armchairs.

Birds chirped from suspended gilded cages, and potted plants filled every corner. Small decorative fountains added the sounds of running water, while stringed instrumental music was piped into the room via cleverly hidden speakers. The air was redolent with a mix of exotic spices and fragrances, making Niall feel like he was in some exotic country. 

It was this close to being too much, but it didn't cross the line. Instead Perrini's was exotic and luxurious, an indulgent treat for those who could afford it.

Like Niall's mother, who'd just finished a milk and honey bath when they arrived.

The blond studied the menu of treatments available, deciding to skip his usual and chose the passionate pampering. The treatment designed to make you "sexually irrisitable" sounded like exactly what he needed.

Niall'd finally managed to get his mind back to the safe zone of work when Liam spoke up from the pedicure chair beside his.

"Mrs. Cowell, have you met Zayn Malik?"

Niall gaped at him. He knew his mum went nuts over any news about Niall's romantic – and not so romantic, as the case may be – relationships.

His mother who sat in the chair on the other side of him, leaned forward with her usual girlish excitement over a rich, handsome man.

"Of course. He's one of the wealthiest men in the world. Number twenty five or so, if I'm remembering correctly. A very driven young man, obviously and a generous benifactor of many of the children's charities I champion. Extremely eligible, of course. But such a shame he's gay, he's got quite a reputation as the heartbreaker."

"Oh." Liam grinned and ignored his friend's violent head shaking. "If I was gay it'd be a hopeless crush anyway, since he's into Niall."

His mother gasped, looking giddy. "Niall! I can't believe you didn't say anything. How could you not tell me something like that?"

The younger boy looked at his mum whose scrubbed face appeared young, unlined, and very much like Niall's. He was very clearly his mother's son.

"There's nothing to tell," He insisted. "We're just.. _friends_."

"We can do better than that," Maura said, with a look of calculation that struck his heart. They could've talked about more important things than Niall's "thing" with Zayn. Like why his own mother was stalking him but Niall couldn't bring himself to talk about it in front of Liam, the lad didn't have to see him in such an angry state. Spa day was Liam's favourite, Niall can't ruin that.

"I don't know how it escaped me that you work in the same building he does. I'm certain he was _smitten_ the moment he saw you. Maybe it was the brown roots showing, since he's known to prefer brunettes. Hmm.. anyway he's also known for his excellent taste. Which is clearly proven."

Niall rolls his eyes. "It's not like that. Please don't get involved. You'll embarrass me." He whines.

"Nonsense. If anyone knows what to do with men. It's me." She tilts her chin up proudly, batting her lashes.

Her son cringed, his shoulders creeping up to his ears. By the time his massage appointment came around, Niall was in desperate need of one. He stretched out on the table and closed his eyes, preparing to take a cat nap to get through the night ahead.

The blond loved getting dressed up and looking handsome as much as the next guy, but charity functions were a lot of work. Making small talk was exhausting, smiling non stop was a pain. And conversations about business and people he didn't know was boring. His mum and Simon supported abused children's charities because they were significant to him. Going to the occasional stuffy event was a small price to pay for in return.

Taking a deep breath Niall consciously relaxed. He made a mental note to call his dad when he got home and thought about how to send a thank you note to Zayn for the hangover cure. He supposed he could email him using the contact details on the business card, but that lacked class, besides, Niall didn't know who read his inbox.

Niall would just call him when he got home. Why not? He had asked, no – told him to; he'd written the demand on his business card. And he'd get to hear his luscious voice again.

The door opened and the masseuse came in. "Hello, Niall. You ready?"

Not quite, but he was getting there.

  
After many lovely hours at the spa, his mum and Liam dropped him off at the apartment; they then headed out to look for new cuff links for Simon. Niall used the time alone to call Zayn. Even with the much needed privacy, he punched most of his phone number into the keypad a half dozen times before he finally put the call through.

He answered on the first ring. "Niall."

Startled that he'd known who was calling, Niall's mind scrambled for a moment. How did Zayn have his name and number in his contact list?

"Ugh.. Hi Zayn." He muttered, feeling a little awkward.

"I'm almost at yours. Let the front desk know I'm coming."

"What?" Niall felt like he'd missed part of the conversation. "Coming where?"

"To your place. I'm rounding the corner now. Call the desk, Niall."

He hung up and Niall stared at the phone, trying to absorb the fact that Zayn was moments away from being with him again. Somewhat dazed, Niall went to the phone and talked to reception, letting them know he was expecting him, and whilst the blond was talking, Zayn walked into the entrance. A few moments after that, he was at Niall's door.

It was then Niall remembered he was only dressed in a vest shirt and tight boxers, and his hair styled for the dinner. What kind of impression would he get from Niall's appearance?

The boy pulled down his shirt, hopefully stretching it a little before Niall let him in. It wasn't like he invited Zayn over for a seduction session or anything.

Zayn stood in the hallway for a long moment, his gaze taking Niall from his head to his toes. The blond was equally stunned by his appearance. The way he looked in ripped jeans and a tight shirt made him want to undress him with his teeth .

"Worth the trip to find you like this, Niall." He stepped in a shut the door behind him. "How are you feeling?"

"Good. Thanks to you. Thank you." His stomach quivered because Zayn was here, with him, which made him feel almost giddy. "That can't be why you came over."

Zayn breathed a laugh. "I'm here because you took too long to call me."

"I didn't realise I had a deadline." Niall's brow arched.

"I have to ask you something time sensitive, but more than that, I wanted to know if you were feeling alright after last night." His eyes were dark as they swept over the younger boy in front of him, his breathtaking face framed by inky hair. "God. You look beautiful, Niall. I can't remember wanting anything this much. Ever."

With just those simple words Niall became needy. Way too vunerable. "What's so urgent?"

"Go with me to the dinner tonight."

Niall pulled back, surprised and excited by the request. "You're going?"

"So are you. I checked, knowing your mother would be there. Lets go together."

Niall's hand went to his throat, his mind torn between the weirdness of how much he knew and concern over what Zayn was asking him to do. "That's not what I meant when I said we should spend time together."

"Why not?" The simple question was laced with challenge. "What's the problem with going to an event we'd already planned on attending separately?"

Niall sighs. "It's not very discreet. It's a high profile event."

"So." Zayn stepped closer and placed a hand at the back of his neck, fingers running through his hair.

There was a dangerous purr to his voice that sent a shiver through Niall's spine. The blond could feel the warmth of his big, hard body and smell the richly masculine scent of his skin. Niall was falling under his spell, deeper with every minute that passed.

"People will make assumptions, my mother in particular. She's already scenting your bachelor blood in the water." Lowering his head, Zayn pressed his lips into the crook of his neck. "I don't care what people think, we know what we're doing. And I'll deal with your mother."

"If you think you can," Niall said breathlessly. "You don't know her very well."

"I'll pick you up at seven." His tongue traced the wildly throbbing vein in Niall's neck and he melted into him, his body going numb as the older boy pulled him close.

Still, Niall managed to say, "I haven't said yes."

"But you won't say no." He caught Niall's earlobe between his teeth. "I won't let you."

Niall opened his mouth to protest but Zayn sealed his lips over his, shutting Niall up with a lush wet kiss. His tongue did that slow, savouring licking that made Niall long him even more, wanting to know if his tongue was just as good somewhere else. Pale, calloused hands went to his hair, sliding through it, tugging. When Zayn wrapped his arms around him, the blond arched, curving into his hands.

Just as he had back in his office, he had Niall on his back on the sofa before the boy realised he was moving him. His mouth swallowing Niall's surprised gasp as Zayn pulled his vest over his head, he then placed his hand on Niall's bum, kneading it softly in rhythmic squeezes.

"Zayn–"

"Shh." He sucked on the blond's lower lip. Moving his hands to his exposed chest, his fingers rolling and tugging his nipples. "It was driving me crazy knowing only a thin layer was covering you."

"You came over without – oh god.." Zayn's mouth latched onto his nipple, the wash of heat bringing a layer of perspiration to his skin. Niall's gaze darted frantically to the clock on the cabinet. "Zayn, no."

His head lifted and he looked at Niall's practically debauched form with stormy, olive brown eyes. "It's insane, I know. I don't – I can't explain it, Niall, but I have to make you come. I've been thinking about it constantly for days now."

One of his hands pushed between Niall's legs, which fell open shamelessly, his body so aroused he was flushed and almost feverish. His other hand still rolling over Niall's nipple, making them unbearably sensitive.

"You're hard for me," he murmured, his gaze sliding down his body where he was pulling down the blond's Calvin's, Niall lifted his hips to help him speed up the process. "You're beautiful everywhere, Niall." He whispered stroking a hand over his stiff length, rubbing his palm up and down the younger's thigh.

He slid one finger carefully inside. Niall closed my eyes against the unbearable vulnerability of being spread out and fingered by a man whose familiarity with the rules of everything betrayed intimate knowledge. A man who was still fully clothed and kneeling on the floor between his legs.

"You're so tight, Ni." Zayn pulled out and thrust gently back in with two fingers. Niall's back arched as he clenched around him. "How long has it been since you were last fucked?"

He swallowed hard. "I've been busy. I have my job and.. w-with moving."

"A while then." Niall couldn't hold back a moan of delight as he thrust his fingers faster. The man had talented hands, confident and skilled, as he he took what he wanted with them. 

"Are you safe, Niall?

"Yes." Niall's hands gripped the armrest and cushion, knuckles turning white. "Of course."

"I'll prove I'm clean and you'll do the same, and then your'e going to let me in you."

"Jesus, Zayn." The blond was panting for him, his hips circling shamelessly onto his thrusting fingers. Zayn's other hand then grasped his erection, his thumb rubbed over the sensitive head that was already leaking with precum. "Fuck, Niall. Must you be so beautiful?"

Niall'd never been so turned on in his life.

Zayn was breathing hard too. His face was full of lust, he looked at Niall and pulled his fingers out moving the hand to his cheek and brushed over. "You're blushing." He whispers softly. "I've scandalised you."

"Yes." Niall wanted to scream due to the emptiness he left him in. Zayn smiled before moving his head to Niall's groin where he replaced his fingers for his tongue.

"Zayn. Oh – oh god." The blond cried as he kitten licked his hole, Zayn's tongue running up and down the underside of his dick before wrapping his sinful lips around the entire length, slowly bobbing his head up and down.

Niall's breathing became ragged, placing his hand in Malik's hair pulling him down further, gagging slightly as he did so, but that only spurred him to drop his head faster.

"I-I'm not going to last." Niall whimpers.

He pulls off with a pop, and slowly began jacking him off. "Come for me Niall, come in my mouth. I want to see if you taste as good as you look."

Niall was swollen, too sensitive when he placed his mouth back onto his member, he licked the slit, taunting him until he came.

Niall felt the warmth build up and before he knew it he was releasing into Zayn's mouth, ribbon upon ribbon. Once Niall knew he was done, Zayn swallowed with a loud gulp, wiping the corners of his mouth with his forefinger and thumb.

"Fucking delicious, Niall." He growled before latching his lips onto the boy's panting mouth, Niall could taste himself on his lips, his kiss was bruising. He stood with one last peck, passing him his boxers and vest.

"Zayn–"

"Seven o'clock, Niall." He pulled a necklace from around his neck, a chain with a small charm.

He leaned over, clipping it around Niall's neck, the cold pendants causing goosebumps to form over his body.

"And wear this, I wanna fuck you with this being the only thing on your body."


	6. The fever's fucking running

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last five chapters were not mine, they were written by a previous writer who I stupidly fell in love with and once she said she didn't want the fic, I asked for it. I didn't realise it was plagiarised, but there's not much I can do but carry on, but with my own writing. I'm aware the story was from a popular book by an author called Sylvia and I apologise. But this chapter and the one's after are my own writing, and since I've never read that book, or heard of it, I can't copy :) Sooo, I hope this is okay. I'm quite self-conscious now, idkk.

Niall's pacing back and fourth, trying to cool himself off, finding it difficult to breathe with the warm layer of sweat building up on his skin. It's too hot in his apartment. _It's too hot in this damn suit_ , Niall thinks.   
  
"Jesus, Niall. Calm down, mate. You look like you're about to blow up or something." Liam grabs the boy's shoulders to still him, staring into his eyes and seeing nothing but panic. "What's up with you?" He asks, patting down the wrinkles in Niall's suit.   
  
"I'm _nervous_ , that's what." He replies, tugging at his collar. The necklace Zayn gave him cooling his body all the while making his skin tingle. "Why?" The brunet asks and he looks genuinely concerned, his eyebrows furrowing.   
  
"I don't know, I just – I feel like something's gonna.. I don't know. There's just something about tonight." Niall can barely speak never mind build a proper sentence. Liam rolls his eyes and rubs at his tense shoulders, he smiles. "You'll be fine."  
  
The blond returns it then notices Liam's eyes flicker down onto his chest, the silver chain being tugged out of his shirt. "What's this?" He asks, inspecting the metal with curious eyes.   
  
Now that Niall's properly looking at it, the necklace does seem a bit odd, yet interesting. Looking closely, there was one thick silver charm attached, he squints when he sees something written on it, but he doesn't understand the language. It was similar to a five pence coin, except more shinier and heavier, Niall stares curiously, about to explain to Liam exactly _who_ he got it from, but the silence is broke by a knock on the door; sending him back into a state of panic.   
  
He looks at Liam with wide eyes, who merely smirked, patting his back and pushing him towards the door. "Enjoy your dinner, Ni."  
  
Niall's in the middle of complaining, but then he's crashing into a familiar stone hard stomach and as per usual, the breath was knocked out of his lungs. Niall was more than embarrassed, how many times are they going to go through this? He'd kill Liam later, make sure to gouge his eyes out and put them in a blender.   
  
"Good evening to you too, Niall." Zayn's deep voice rang through his ears and Niall immediately stumbled back, clearing his throat and pretending the last few seconds never happened. The blond muttered a good evening back and the two let their eyes roam the other's body, scanning to see what they have to tolerate for the whole night without bursting into full on sex.   
  
Zayn was dressed in all black apart from his tie, which was a bright white. Despite the luminous colour, it did not keep Niall from letting his eyes wander to the prominent outline of his abs pressing against the black fabric of his shirt. As many times as Zayn had called him beautiful, Niall felt like nothing compared to Zayn.   
  
Zayn wets his lips. "I knew you'd look beautiful tonight, and as much as I'm enjoying it," he takes a step forward and kisses Niall on the lips softly. "That only makes things harder."   
  
 _Literally_ , Niall thought as he felt that familiar tingle in his trousers.   
  
The darker boy curled his arm around Niall's waist and guided him towards the elevator, Zayn staring at the necklace around Niall's neck with a smile as the cart made it's descent. 

 

* * *

  
  
Once the limo door closes, Niall suddenly feels nervous.   
  
They're _alone_.   
  
They're sitting opposite each other, the soft carpeted floor being constantly rubbed by Niall's shoes, something he does when he's anxious. Zayn's intense stare doesn't help, his eyes wide and shining as he took in Niall's movements.

Niall tries to ignore him, tries not to look into those eyes and succumb to his wishes because he knows _exactly_ what Zayn wants.  
  
"I know what you're thinking, Malik. And we can't. Not right now," the older man leans forward, lips curled up as he reaches over and takes Niall's hand in his. "I just want a little taste is all, just a few minutes." It was amazing, and at the same time, ridiculous how easily persuaded Niall was.   
  
Zayn notices this and smirks wider, pulling Niall up from his seat and tugging the blond towards him, Niall hunched over due to the low ceiling. The blond turned around to sit next to him but Zayn shook his head, bobbing it in the direction of his lap. If he said no it wouldn't do much because tan hands were gripping at his hips tightly, Niall forced to straddle his waist. 

His worry immediately vanquished at the taste of Zayn's tongue, lips moulding and heavy breaths exchanged in the middle when the older lad rutted his hips up into Niall's. "Z-Zayn, you said just a taste!" Niall pulled away when he felt Zayn rub him through his pants, unzipping his own and sighing.  
  
"Your definition of a taste is completely different to mine." He pulled Niall back down using his tie and connected their lips, hand slowly pumping at his leaking cock while the other hand squeezed Niall's ass. "We don't have t-time," The blond breathes on his lips, grasping the tan member in his hand and staring up at Zayn with dazed eyes. His words contradicted his actions, much to Zayn's delight.   
  
"I don't care, I want to be inside you, Niall. I want to feel how tight you are." Malik groaned, undoing Niall's belt and letting the blond crawl off his lap to throw the article of clothing to the side. Niall's eyes snapped towards the driver's seat, sighing when he notices the black screen blocking him from seeing anything. Niall was taking off his jacket when he got a good look at the hard length Zayn was pumping. It was the longest Niall's seen and certainly the thickest, which is an unfair judgement considering Niall hasn't been with much people, but it was pretty impressive.   
  
Zayn looked through his jacket pockets in search for some lube but he found none, he gritted his teeth in anger but calmed when he saw the blond in between his legs, eyeing his cock hungrily. "Maybe I can suck you off?"  
  
Zayn laughed, running his hands through sweaty blond locks. "There is no maybe in sex, Niall. If you want to do something, do it."  
  
Niall laughed, flattening his tongue as he licked one long stripe up Zayn's pulsing member. "What if I was tied up? I wouldn't be able to do anything." Zayn's eyes are clouded as he chuckles, stroking Niall's cheek. "I'll put that in the list of things I wanna do to you."  
  
Niall let out a whimper when Zayn pulled him forward with a hand placed at the back of his neck. He looked at Zayn with wide eyes, not breaking the contact as he took the head into his mouth, lightly sucking before kitten licking the leaking slit. "You look so good like this, Niall. So pretty with my cock in your mouth." His lips were wet with saliva, one of Zayn's favourite features of Niall's body.  
  
There was just so much to look at, so much to taste and smell, to lick. Niall's body was a paradise that Zayn wanted to explore over and over again.   
  
The younger was bobbing his head now, taking only half of Zayn's cock in his mouth while he jacked off the base. The member pulsing in his mouth as he pulled off to catch his breath. A small web of spit stay stuck on his lip and made him look more wrecked than he already was when he glanced up. "No time, Zayn. We have to make this quick."   
  
Niall was clearly just as eager as him,  but the dinner wasn't that far away, and Niall is desperate for Zayn to fill him up, wanting him so badly.   
  
The darker boy bit his lip before he pressed a button on the side, mouth close to the speaker. "Take the longest route to the dinner, Samuel. I still have some things to discuss with a friend," he bites his lip, seeing Niall kiss the tip of his member. "And inform me when we're near. Don't want to arrive a mess now, do we?"  
  
Niall laughs lightly, before he stops, brows furrowing as the older boy rested his back so he was laying on the sofa. "Come here, beautiful." Zayn beckoned when he noticed Niall's confusion. "This way I get to prepare you while you suck me."  
  
Niall lazily grins before obeying, loud moans eliciting from both their lips when Niall gets on top of him, getting into the "69" position. 

—

  
Samuel whistles quietly to himself before he takes a right, the heavy vehicle shaking from the sharp turn.   
  
He jumps at the sound of clattering metal from behind the black screen, hearing a loud moan come from the back that made him furrow his eyebrows.   
  
He shakes his head, probably just Mr. Malik spilling the wine, he assumes. He lets out a moan of his own when he realises he's the one to clean it up.   
  
—  
  
Samuel was right about two things, because yes the wine did spill, but wine isn't the only thing he's going to have to clean up once the night is through.  
  
They can't help it.   
  
After days of pent up sexual frustration, the two went a little harder then originally planned.   
  
Niall's chest was visible but his shirt was falling off his shoulders, his pants off and his member throbbing as he rode on Zayn's cock. The necklace swinging back and forth within each thrust of his hips. Zayn was in a similar state, except his pants were still on, his zipper open and practically tearing apart from their movements. His hands were at Niall's waist, bruising the pale skin as he thrusted upwards, their hips working in a frantic rhythm.   
  
They were already nearing their climax, especially since each sharp turn caused the vehicle to jiggle wildly, making Zayn's length slam in all the right places.   
  
"It's such a privilege, Niall," Zayn whispers as the blond keens into his mouth, eyes squeezed shut as he continues. "To be inside of you, despite the short span of time." His voice was wrecked, which made Niall smile a bit proudly at what he was able to do to him. It meant that he wasn't the only one driven crazy.   
  
"C-Couldn't wait," he pants, rolling his hips and flicking his tongue over Zayn's lips, which emitted a groan.   
  
Niall was breathing heavy, whimpering. "I-I needed you. And if we didn't do this–"  
  
"I would have fucked you right on the very table your mother sat on." Niall gasps at Zayn's boldness, forehead pressed into his neck while his cheeks flushed at the thought. "She would have videoed the whole thing."   
  
His prostate was swollen from the abuse, Zayn's cock stretching him to his widest and Niall could feel the heat pool in his stomach. The blond's hands slid around the older's neck, nails digging into the muscle on his back as his thighs quivered, he's so close. Zayn sensed this and his grip tightened on the boy's waist, whispering sultrily into his ear, "I would have asked her to send me it."  
  
Niall came all over Zayn's chest with a weak mewl, luckily not getting any on his shirt or his jacket before Zayn fell apart just as he did, filling the blond's ass with his come as Niall slumped over his shoulder. He thrusted sloppily through his orgasm, the tight clench of muscle making him yell profanities into the skin of Niall's sweaty collar. "Fuck.." He swore once he was done, completely tired. 

A long silence stretched between the two before Niall chuckles breathlessly. "You never got to see me naked with just that necklace," he mumbles, hissing as Zayn's softening cock pulls out of him, Zayn's seed dripping down his thigh which Niall didn't focus on, he was more intrigued by the sore sting on his lower back and his bum. There was something about the ache in his ass that he quite liked; it's almost like getting a medal for having such a large object inside of him for twenty minutes. Niall tucks Zayn back in and sighs, cheeks puffing out as he leans down and licks up the tan chest, cleaning the seed from his stomach.  
  
Zayn leans back in the leather seat, a ghost of smile on his lips as he reached up for the necklace around Niall's neck. "Soon, I will. Just not tonight. We didn't have time, they'll never be enough time with the things I wanna do to you."  
  
"Really?" Niall asks with hooded eyes.  
  
"I'd write a list that would take _weeks_ to finish. But," he sighs stressfully. "We only have minutes."  
  
Niall gulps, seemingly in a bit of a daze as Zayn's words process in his mind. The way he said it caused a violent pounding in his chest. He sounded so distraught but at the same time he was right. He leaned back and stared at Zayn curiously, his head tilted to try and figure him out.

It was flattering, really. How Zayn wanted to explore Niall's body as much as the blond wants to with his. The feeling was mutual 

  
A voice breaks the short silence.   
  
  
"Mr. Malik we are nearing the dinner." Samuel informs them, Zayn reaching lazily to press the button beforereplying, "How long?"

  
"About ten minutes, would that be okay?"

  
"Yes, that's not a problem. Take your time, don't rush." He says as he smiles at Niall, watching the blond pull his trousers up over his creamy thighs, the tie tucked under his collar.   
  
  
A comfortable quiet falls between the two as they got ready, making sure that Zayn's hair wasn't completely fucked and that Niall could walk normally. 

  
They had about four more minutes until they got there and that's when Niall begins a conversation. "I've never had sex in a limo before."

  
He curses mentally. He tends to say a lot of stupid things when he's nervous. He doesn't exactly know why he's nervous but he's assuming it's because of his mother. Who's gonna see him walk in with Zayn and Niall fears that once she does, she'll know the real reason why they're late.

  
"I haven't either," Zayn replies, which was a complete shock to Niall. "Really?"

  
Zayn nods. "I would've thought you'd had it in all kinds of places, Malik."

  
The older boy laughs. "Not really, no." He bites his lip. "But I'd love to experiment with you." 

  
Niall grins. "Perhaps."

 

* * *

  
  
The limo parks outside the large building where the dinner was held, large pillars by either side of the door and making it look really historic and more museum-like then a fancy hall.  
  
Niall sighs as he gets out of the limo after Zayn, asking him one more time if he looked okay. "It's really stupid of you to ask me, because you know what I'll say."  
  
The blond smiles a bit, then nods. Chuckling, "Your hair's a mess."  
  
"Thanks, Niall. How kind of you to compliment the man who was inside of you just a mere fifteen minutes ago."   
  
"You're welcome." The blond laughs before Zayn leads him towards the entrance.  
  
—  
  
The charity dinner was bigger than Niall expected, various men and women dressed formally in their suits and silk dresses, the blond was surrounded by faux camaraderie. 

  
Zayn lead him in with an arm placed on his lower back, some noticed Zayn with a small smile while others merely nodded and looked away. Niall recognises a few people, others were just strangers but what his eyebrows furrowing are the people trailing behind some powerful looking people, realising that those were there assistants. 

  
"Why didn't you bring your assistant?" He turned to Zayn with an arched brow. 

"Oh, Collin? He couldn't come." 

Niall snorts. He turned away a bit grumpily, not liking the fact that he was second choice. A low rumble of a chuckle escaped Zayn's lips and he shook his head, "Collin couldn't come because I told him he could take the night off, that man works too much for me. Poor lad,"

  
Niall hums and bobs his head, eyes wandering over to the closed door in the corner of the room where he knew they kept all the food, he could smell it. He's contemplating running over there until Zayn's words register in his head. The blond grins, stares up at him with a wide toothy smile. 

  
"You planned it! You told him to take a day off so you could fuck me in your limo." It was true, so Zayn nodded his head. "He wouldn't be as good as you were in there," he whispered, despite the loud sound of chatter, Niall heard every word.   
  
"Wouldn't have looked as good as you did when you were–"   
  
"Okay, I get it."   
  
Zayn smiles, feeling triumphant as a pink blush spread on Niall's cheeks.   
  
  
But the blond's focus remained on the people surrounding him. His eyes widen as more guests pile through the door. It looked like a prom, but with old people.   
  
Niall's busy staring at the intricate design of the ceiling to notice that Zayn disappeared and already greeting other guests. The blond watched, intrigued. At events like this, you have to act like you're actually enjoying yourself. Fake smiles and stiff laughter, awkward silences and there's always somebody in the circle to try and change the topic. Niall knows those things happen a lot at business dinners, but this was a charity event.   
  
Blue eyes watched over Zayn's features as he gripped another man's hand in a firm handshake, lips curled up but not as wide as Niall knows they could go. Apart from his uncomfortable stance, Niall would say he was a professional, drifting from one man or woman to another looking content as he chatted amongst the other rich folk.   
  
Niall sighs, his lower back aching slightly as he turned, scanning around the large hall for someone to occupy himself with.   
  
Luck wasn't on his side, because as soon as he twists back around, he's bumping into a familiar face. And for the first time, it wasn't Zayn he stumbled upon. 

  
"Niall,"  
  
"Simon."

  
His face held a frown, eyes hard and arms hanging loose by his side. Despite his relaxed slouch, he still held that authoritative aura with his broad shoulders and forehead wrinkles. He wasn't greeted with the usual kiss on the cheek this time, so it was clear he was a bit apprehensive due to the way their last meeting ended.   
  
"How are you?" He asks but Niall dodges the question. "Shouldn't you be with my mother?"  
  
Simon seems to be playing the same game. "I apologise about last time, she's only worried about you."  
  
Niall huffs. "I don't think this conversation is suitable for the current event. We're here for abused children, Simon. Not me," he casts his eyes towards the crowd and the large stage where a wooden podium stood, a vacant mic stood there, prepared for speech. "I suggest you leave me be,"   
  
Unless I say something I regret, was what Niall wanted to say after but it was followed by an understood silence as Simon stepped away, disappearing into the crowd.   
  
Niall was once again left alone and he pouted just the slightest, not liking the awkward heat beginning to dance it's way throughout his body, he's sure he's blushing now. A probably sickly strawberry colour since he's always pretty pink when he's embarrassed, and arriving at a dinner with Zayn Malik then being ditched five minutes later was certainly embarrassing.   
  
  
Zayn's somewhere, Simon's everywhere and his mother's, well, nowhere. So he busies himself by drinking a bit of a fruit cocktail, the flavours sparkling in his mouth and making him shudder as the taste danced on his tongue. 

  
He feels someone bump his shoulder and he turns around, lips pressed to glass until his eyes meet a very familiar looking man.

"Oh, sorry, mate." The man apologises but Niall pulls from his drink and shakes his head, "No, no. It's fine." He smiles kindly, nodding his head before turning back to lean on the bar. The brunet doesn't seem happy with the short exchange of words, so he sighs.

"You look a little lonely." He attempts a conversation, Niall turning back around and nodding his head. "Yeah, sort of hate these things. Don't know a lot of people," He shrugs, oblivious to the eyes scanning over his body.

 

"Well, I kind of like these events." The man smiles a bright, white grin. "It means I get to make new friends."

 

Niall's eyebrow arches just the slightest bit but he grins nonetheless. "What's your name?" The handsome stranger asks him, brown eyes glinting.

 

"Niall," the blond replies with a slight hint of confusion in his tone. "I'm Andrew." 

 

Niall just bobs his head, taking another sip from his drink but it was then pulled away, Andrew bringing it up to his lips for a little taste. The blond frowns.

 

"Is it alright if I stay with you, Niall?" Niall blinks. "Um,"

 

"Wouldn't want to be alone, this dinner does go on until midnight." Niall swallows the lump in his throat, wetting his lips. Midnight? _That's hours away_ , he thinks. He considers it for a moment, there's nothing wrong with making friends, right? And he's alone, Zayn's ditched him and with the way he's disappearing and reappearing and not taking any notice of Niall, it seems that he isn't going to come back.

 

The blond sighs. "Okay, sure." 


	7. Yeah, we can go slow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been a while! I've been really busy and I didn't know what to write!

Andrew was surprisingly really nice. He was a little creepy at first but Niall warmed up to him, he was really funny. They talked and talked and even sat next to each other once the dinner started. Maura seeming to be quite fond of him as well while Simon stayed silent. And Zayn? Well, he was nowhere to be seen. 

It was quite disappointing, actually. How Zayn made Niall feel so good just a few hours ago and then just left him. Is this what it was going to be like from now on? A good fuck and run? Is that what Zayn thought casual, friendly sex was?

Because Niall sure as _hell_ did _not_ agree to that.

 

The night was long and Niall did have as much fun as you can have at a charity dinner, along with Andrew. He learnt that the lad was the pretty much just like Zayn, owns his own business and is a couple years older. Niall admired these men, wonders how they can achieve so much at such a young age.

The two were just talking but suddenly lights dim down and a slideshow is played, bruised children popping up on the screen, the music slow and sad and Niall winces when he sees the injuries on one child. A video begins playing of a small child telling them his story and how the charity, _Concrete Angels_ , has helped him. The whole hall began to get a little emotional, all except Niall.

The blond looks away, his mother staring at him concernedly but he just stiffly smiles, excusing himself from the table and nodding apologetically to one of the CA representatives as he left the hall. Well, he aimed too, but he saw Zayn around the corner and he came to a brief halt.

The lad was staring at the designs on the wall before they make eye contact and Zayn stops, bites his lip and shakes his head, disappearing around the corner. Niall shakes his head, a little confused by his actions until he realises something; Zayn had bedn avoiding him.

That's why Niall hasn't seen him, he'd been running the other direction. The blond grunts under his breath and runs after him, jogging around to follow. He sees Zayn with one hand in his pocket, his phone in the other as he stares apprehensively at the screen.

"Zayn, stop." He calls but a tan hand is raised in front of him and Zayn's tapping the screen with his thumb before pressing the device to his ear. "Zayn, I need to –" Zayn covers his mouth with his hand, "Hello," he says into the phone, Niall wasn't close enough so he was unable to identify the person on the other side. He didn't want to either, he needed to talk to Zayn. And they needed to talk right now. Had Niall done something wrong?

"Yes, I won't." Zayn turns away from the blond, nodding his head along. Niall pulls away from his hand and crosses his arms over his chest, eyes narrowed into slits. "It's in a few days, yes we might." Niall stomps his foot, waving his hand in front of the darker boy's face.

"Zayn, please, it's just a few minutes." he whispers, but Zayn continues to ignore him. "It's the second meeting. I –" Niall snatches the phone from Zayn's hand and the look Zayn gives him was murderous, Niall's about to say something until he hears the voice begin to yell, his accent similar to Zayn's' and with the way he practically growled at the silence, Niall could tell that this person was _not_ happy. He looks at Zayn in disbelief and the older boy's eyes flash with anger. Niall slowly bringing the phone up to his ear, his throat goes dry when he hears what's being said.

 

After a few seconds of listening, he didn't want to hear anymore. He gave the phone to Zayn with wide eyes, slightly glassed over with sympathy which Zayn immediately hated. The older boy roughly grabbed it from his hand and turned away, quickly muttering apologies into the phone. "Zayn, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to–"

_**"Are you with somebody?"** _

The voice was calmer but it still carried the same volume when he was shouting, it was so loud Niall could hear it from where he stood. The blond winced. "Yes, I am, and I have to go now. I'm sorry, we'll continue this conversation later. Goodbye." Zayn hung up and turned to Niall with a very menacing glare. "You want to talk? Fucking talk then." Niall loses all sympathy as soon as he spoke, giving him the most scariest look he could summon up (which probably wasn't all that scary).

 

"Who the fuck was that? And why is he mad at you?"

"That is none of your concern."

 

His face falls solemn, a steely expression that Niall's never seen before. Zayn's never given him that look, the blond doesn't really know what to say. They glare at each other for a minute before Zayn wets his lips, "You won't understand, Niall. Just ignore it." He slots his phone back into his pocket with a sigh before he throws the other a look of curiosity. "Why did you leave the hall?" Niall straightens up, shaking his head to dismiss that topic. "Why are you avoiding me?" He asks instead, Zayn's jaw visibly clenches and Niall's eyes flicker down to his mouth where a pink tongue peeked out to wet his chapped lips. "I wasn't avoiding you."

"Yes, you are." Zayn shakes his head, "No, I was busy."

"Zayn, I saw you running away from me in the hall earlier." The older lad pats his pocket. "I was waiting for the right moment to call someone." Niall lets out a groan of frustration mixed with confusion.

"I haven't seen you ever since the limo ride. What's going on? Did I do something wrong?" He looks genuinely worried and the sight has Zayn's body stepping forward, rubbing the sides of his arms, comforting him. "It's nothing, Niall." Niall squirms away from his hold.

"Zayn, if we want this to work you have to be honest with me." The taller boy's face turns sour and he crinkles his nose. "We aren't in a relationship Niall, honesty means nothing in our agreement." Niall frowns at that, eyebrows furrowing together. "We aren't in a relationship, but I remember us agreeing to be friends and getting to know each other more than just pleasuring the other person."

 

 

"I don't remember that."

 

His careless tone refuels the anger Niall had from earlier on and his fists squeeze tightly, Niall wanted nothing more than to scream at him, shout at his face. He can't, unfortunately, so he keeps his voice low while trying to sound as furious as he was. "Is this what's it's going to be like? Because if it is going to be this complicated, then you can count me out." He twirls around to walk away, ignoring Zayn's calls from behind him. "Niall, wait –"

"We've only started today, and you're already complicating things!" Niall shouts over his shoulder. "If you're going to keep pushing me away, why do you expect me to stay?" He stomps back to the hall, Zayn chasing after him all the while trying not to make it look like a big deal to any of the people working there. He hopes nobody witnessed their angry exchange. "Niall," he calls out again, but the blond remains stubborn, mumbling profanities under his breath. As he stares angrily at the shimmer of his sleek, black shoes, he doesn't see the body exiting the large doors. He stumbles back once he collides into a taller figure and the blon doesn't even apologise, too busy wondering why _he_ is always the one to bump into somebody. "Niall?" The voice has Niall easing up and muttering a weak sorry to him, he looks up at Andrew with a fake smile before attempting to walk around him. Andrew stops him with a soft grip to his wrist, eyes wandering over him in worry. "Are you okay?" He asks, Niall just shrugs. Zayn narrows his eyes at the sight in front of him, clearing his throat to gain both of their attention and once he does, Andrew's more than delighted.

 

 

"Zayn Malik," he sighs happily, american accent thick as he took a step closer to him, mirroring Zayn's position by slipping his hands into his pockets. "It's lovely to see you again."

"Likewise." Zayn sneers. "How's the lasagne, Garfield?"

"Oh, _please_. At least my last name doesn't sound like some weird piece of foreign chocolate."

Zayn chuckles darkly. "You're just jealous because _Niall_ got to have a taste of this weird piece of foreign chocolate."

 

Andrew gasps, eyes bouncing back and fourth between the two with his mouth wide open. "Is he telling the truth, Niall?" He splutters. The blond rolls his eyes, his head in his hands. "You two give me a headache." He mumbles. "I'm going home."

 

The taller brunet nods his head, a friendly smile gracing his features before he places his hand on the small of Niall's back. "I'll take you." He's about to lead them back into the hall when Zayn's voice stops them. "No." His tone clearly conveys his anger though he remains composed on the outside. He stares directly at the blond but Niall sees his eyes flicker towards the floor briefly before continuing with what he has to say, "I'll.. I will take you." There was something about how his voice changed at that, transforming from an authoritative tone to a more softer and doubtful one. Niall wondered what was wrong with him today, he doesn't look like himself, or sound like it, either. Niall's given questioning looks from both men but he just shakes his head, feeling his vision blur as he spins on his heel.

"I'm leaving. Alone." He emphasises the last part, quietly making his way inside and he feels ashamed to walk out from such a thing, but he can't stay here anymore. There's too much negativity it makes the bile rise in his throat. He taps his mother on the shoulder and she turns around, immediately asking him hushed questions. Niall smiles. "I'm fine, mum. I just can't stay, I hope you understand." She gives a soft kiss to his cheek and nods her head. "I do, love."

Niall was probably the only thing important to her that wasn't money, and he appreciated that. "Thanks, mum. Oh, and I need to talk to you. Are you free tomorrow?" She thinks for a moment but then looks back at him, smiling softly. "Of course, always for you, dear. Can we meet at Perrini's?"

Niall rolls his eyes fondly, "Another spa day, mum?"

"I need a foot massage, Nialler, these heels are deadly." He laughs quietly. "Liam's gonna be devastated. Very well, I'll see you tomorrow." He gets up to stand and he pats down his suit, sighing as he navigates around the tables before heading out the exit. He reaches into his pocket and grabs his phone, pressing the cold device to his ear after dialling the number for a taxi. It rings a few times but then a familiar figure stands right next to him. Niall huffs a sigh, his phone still ringing but he knew exactly who it was. "I did say I wanted to be alone, Malik. It would bring me great joy if you listened." He refuses to look Zayn straight in the eye, but it seems like he doesn't want to either.

 

 

"Why are you even here?"

"You can take my limo."

Niall's hand slowly drops and he can hear the person on the other side of the call answer. He hangs up and looks at the man in disbelief. "What?"

 

"I said you can take my limo back to your flat," Zayn looks confused, wondering why Niall looked so surprised. "But I said all those things to you, and I pissed you off. I thought you were mad at me." He shrugs. "I'm trying to be friendly, Niall. Do you want the limo or not?"

 

 

"But don't you need it?"

"I'll leave later." He answers quickly with conviction. Niall nods. "Okay. I'd like that." He manages a small smile but Zayn doesn't return it, eyes roaming the carpeted floor again. "I'll just wait here, then." The blond looks towards the outside exit. 

"It's um," Zayn clears his throat, nodding towards the glass doors. "Samuel's already parked, so. You can just,"

"Uh, yeah. Thank you, Zayn." The older lad's lips curl up at the mention of his name. He finally looks into the blue eyes he's been avoiding. "You're welcome."

 

The eye contact doesn't last long though, because his eyes drift towards his neck and Niall almost forgot it was there. His hands trail up and fiddle with the cold chain, he feels his cheeks flame at the scrutinising gaze and he frowns a little, remembering why he was mad in the first place.

 

Niall looks up at him. "I should go." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Does anyone actually like this? Because I'm sorta losing motivation for it. I'd appreciate a comment :)


	8. It's only one or two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sooo sorry, I thought I posted this like two weeks ago. I'm so mad at myself, argh. Hope you guys can forgive me because my few weeks have been the shittiest and busiest as well, and I guess I forgot. 
> 
> But anyway, this chapter's really cute, so I hope you enjoy it. It's probably the fluffiest so far.

That night, when Niall arrives home, Liam's surprised by how frustrated the blond was. His eyebrows furrowed and his fists clenched. But then the next minute, Niall was distraught. It was a constant change of emotions; Liam didn't know what to say to his friend.

—

When Niall got dressed the morning after, Liam had asked him why he was up so early and when Niall told him that he was going to a spa, the brunet gave him the most murderous look possible with those puppy eyes of his. "Don't be stupid, Liam. I'm only going to Perrini's because I have to talk to my mum." The older lad pouted. "You still could have invited me, I wouldn't even listen, like, I'd be cocooned in that seaweed wrap thing."

Niall gave him a one armed hug and patted his cheek. "Y'know with those muscles of yours, you wouldn't think that a man like yourself would love going to the spa."

"There's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to get pampered, Nialler." He chuckled. "What are you getting today?"

The blond shrugs. "Mum's gonna get a foot massage, I'll probably get the same." Liam ruffles his hair affectionately. "Lucky nugget. Try not to kill anyone with that deadly foot odour of yours." He jokes before leading the blond out.

—

When Niall arrives at the spa, his shoulder slump almost immediately at the heavenly smell. Just the aroma floating around the room was enough to relax him. He tells the nice lady at the front desk his name and she nods her head, directing him to his mother, who seemed at home in that large comfy chair that she probably might have deemed hers with the amount of times she goes to this spa. Niall smiles a little and seats himself on the chair next to his mother. His shoes and socks are removed for him and it's silent for the next twenty minutes as the spa-workers prepare the soap and bubbles around him, massaging his feet up until the point they leave for it to set, that's when Niall decided to invade the quiet. "Simon told me about what you did to my phone."

Maura sighed, her eyes fluttering open and looking at Niall as if she knew. "I just want to know that you're safe, Niall. You need to be protected."

"I'm a grown man, I can take care of myself." He had a temper and it wore thin quickly but he held the urge to yell back – like he did with Simon - because this was his mother, and he would never shout at her. "I want to protect you, Niall." She looked at him and despite the bubbling warm water at her feet and the silk robe covering her delicate frame, she looked so tired and worn out. "You need to understand that this makes me feel less anxious, I'm really sorry, sweetheart." Niall tries to control his breathing but he _can't_ ; the protection's not _needed_.

"It won't happen again, okay? I promise you that. Stalking me might be some sort of resolve for you but it does nothing for me, I need my privacy, mother. I understand you, but do you understand me?" She slumped in defeat, staring at the bubbles that hid her toes with resignation. "I just want to be a good mother." Niall smiles softly, reaching over to her and squeezing her hand. "You are already. And you'd be even better if you trusted me," he chuckled, Maura laughed weakly before nodding her head. "Okay."

"Oh and please tell the doctor about the things you do, it would make me happy if you did." he grins widely at her, blue eyes shining and eyelashes batted as she rolls her eyes. "Goodness me, when did you get so charming?"

"Puberty, mother. _Puberty_."

—

Niall hasn't spoken to Zayn in two days. It wasn't hard to avoid him. When Niall sees him, he walks the other direction, if Zayn calls Harry's line, Niall hangs up. What annoyed him the most was the fact that Zayn was everywhere. Niall wasn't sure if he was normally everywhere and the lack of speaking to him just made Niall more aware of him around or if Zayn was just doing this on purpose. They never spoke though.

What also didn't help was the meeting they had with Malik Industries the same week. Niall knew he couldn't avoid that. Days went by too quickly, and the meeting was fast approaching, Niall was quite nervous. It seems as though Harry was as well, Niall watched his boss sit at his desk with papers scattered all over, the bin nearby quickly filling up with scrunched-up paper balls. The blond's desk was in a similar state, and it was quite shocking how they were all so wound up about it. Niall always tried his best to stay organised as well.

Ever since the first time Niall came along, Harry insisted that the blond should come to the rest of the meetings for good luck. Niall was surprised at first, quite honoured too but also a little bewildered; he agreed nonetheless, not realising that the week after he'd have an argument with one Zayn Malik himself. There was something about Zayn that lured Niall in, and wasn't just his looks. The way he acted around Niall and the things he kept to himself; an enigma was what he was. The night of the charity dinner had Niall so stressed and confused, not wanting to dabble in a deal that he was the only one trying in. Why did Zayn make it so difficult?

What's worse was the present that hasn't left Niall's neck ever since the older man gave it to him. Niall plays with it absentmindedly and it's painfully annoying how he's obsessed with it. It became his guilty pleasure. Just like they were to each other.

He likes it, loves how the chain drapes over his collar bones and stops directly where his heart is, the little silver charm on the end hitting Niall's skin with each step he took, almost matching his heartbeat with every _thump thump_.

From the last encounter, Niall learnt his lesson and stood behind Harry. He smirked inwardly, feeling confident but since this was Zayn, quite expectant. The doors were open and Niall isn't so sure what to do. Would they greet them the same as last time? Or would they have to jump in and start the presentation immediately? The blond gulped, maybe he wasn't so confident after all.

—

The presentation went well for Harry, he carried a more surefooted aura. Niall was impressed. Harry didn't shrink under the scarily predator-like gaze of Malik or any of the other Kigna directors, this time wearing different colour blouses, the blond notices. Niall also noticed the lack of eye contact between him and Zayn. This was something that made Niall wonder what really did happen that night, it made him think hard because Zayn wasn't like himself at that time and Niall was beginning to question if Zayn was still the same after it as well. He wouldn't know, too busy avoiding him and ignoring his calls (which now that Niall thinks about it, weren't that many).

As Harry concludes the presentation, the directors murmur amongst themselves before pulling back and giving Zayn a look. Niall glanced back and fourth from where he was sitting and felt heat spread throughout his body, tingling with a thin layer of sweat. Harry and Niall looked at each other with their own like eye-conversation but it was clear that both men did not understand what Malik and his women were on about.

Malik sighed, "Mr. Styles."

Harry looked at him with wide eyes. The room fell silent and Niall could hear Harry's breath hitch.

 

"Your pitch lacks appeal."

 

Niall bit the inside of his cheek. Harry swallowed the lump in his throat. The directors looked flabbergasted. "Mr. Malik, that is not–" the man in question raised his hand, an action that clearly said _don't fucking speak_. It was evident Harry was panicking with the tone of his voice. "Mr. Malik, with all due respect, you stated in the last–"

"The past is in the past, your detailed presentation merely gave me more of a reason not to accept." Niall clenched his fist, deciding now that he should speak up but he also had to hold himself back from saying anything inappropriate. "Mr. Malik," his tone was sour and mocking. Damn. "May I please ask what was so unappealing about our work? As far as I'm concerned, your directors thought the opposite to your decision, judging from that response earlier." He shot the directors an apologetic look but they refused eye contact.

Niall felt a little shaky after that, knowing he had no place saying that to a man of such high standards and wide connections. In the world of business, Zayn was royalty, and Niall was a peasant.

"I'd love to explain to you, Niall." And for the first time ever since Niall entered the room, their eyes finally met, and Niall's stomach was invaded with a wave of emotions; all caused by the sincerity and meaning said in that one sentence. Niall knew he was talking about the thing that happened that night, his fingers twitched in want, needing the cool metal in between his fingers once more. "But unfortunately for you and Mr. Styles, I have no time."

"Mr. Malik, please. Another chance if you will, we'll correct our mistakes, whatever those may be.." Harry continued to plea. Zayn looked at him as if his brain was calculating all the positive and negative outcomes. "I'm sorry, Mr. Styles, my schedule's booked for the rest of next week." He doesn't look how he says he feels.

"How about this week?" Niall spoke as he stood up. "We can work hard until then, right Harry?"

The brunet grinned at him, grateful for Niall's support. "Yes, just another chance, that's all we're asking." Harry turns to look back at Zayn but his hopeful gaze does nothing but deter when he finds Zayn's eyes trained on Niall. He looks back and fourth between the two and without thinking, he says something that all three of them were not expecting.

 

"Niall will present it as well!"

 

The blond's head snaps towards him so fast, giving Harry a mixture of a glare and a look of bewilderment. Zayn looking just the slightest bit amused. "M-Maybe not that part.. but–" Niall begins to stutter but was cut off. "Very well. The day after tomorrow, friday. I'll cut back some of my meetings so you have more time to present." The blond looks at him in complete shock, that was completely unfair. Harry's presentations lasted thirty to forty five minutes at the least, if Malik adds more time on, Niall might have to present for twice the amount. The darker man smirked lazily at him, "Is there a problem, Mr. Horan?" Niall can see it in his eyes, he was enjoying this. He was back to his old, powerfully attractive self. Niall shot Harry a sidewards glance and he crumbled under the look his boss gave him, he sighed. "Not at all."

"We're finished here, then." Malik clicked his fingers and the two directors stood on either side of him, looking very much like escorts instead of business directors.

"I look forward to seeing you, Niall."

He's halfway out but then he stops, looks over to Harry with a smaller smile. "You too, Mr. Styles."

—

"Niall, I can explain." Harry quickly mutters, looking quite sheepish as he tugged on the sleeve of Niall's suit.

"With all do respect sir," The blond grits his teeth. "Kindly piss off."

As soon as it was said, Harry looked mad but the emotion lasted only a mere second because then the lanky man shrugged without a care. "I'm going to allow that only because I am to blame."

Niall's fists clenched, feeling the need to punch something randomly but he forces the urge back because he already told his boss to piss off, clocking him in the face might just get him fired. "You are," was all Niall said.

"Yes, but he likes you, Niall. I can see it in the way he constantly stares."

The blond gulps. Was Harry catching on? "Wh-What are you saying,"

Harry seats himself on the leather chair behind his desk, hands clasped together as he gazed at the floor deep in thought. "Not in that way, obviously. I'm saying that he seems to have taken a liking to you, for whatever reason that may be, and despite only knowing each other for a short amount of time as well. The chances of him considering on accepting our pitch would increase if.."

Niall sighs, body slumping as he awkwardly tugged at his collar. "If I do the presentation." He finished for him.

"You said it yourself, Niall. Those directors loved it, I know, I saw too. But Malik's the big man around here, and if we work hard enough, we can gather a little more research, maybe talk more about the target audience, calculate the statistics all in time for friday. And with _you_ speaking, he has to accept."

Niall feels the sweat build up on his palms and he rubs them together without reason, it causes a soft slap and the action has Harry looking up at him. The older man notices the distressed state Niall was in and smiles sympathetically, knowing that he was probably crapping his pants. "You can take a lunch break, if you wish."

Niall looks relieved, nodding his head and sighing a breathless thanks.

 

He rushes to the small couch situated in the far corner of his office and drapes his legs over the sleek surface, legs wide open as he pants. That was one hell of a meeting. He debates what he could go eat but before he's made a final decision, his phone rings and he groans aloud, not really wanting to pick it up.

When the ringing continues he drags himself towards the phone to answer. He answers with his usual greeting but it was void of any emotion.

The voice that answered certainly was unexpected though.

_"Can I speak to Niall Horan, please?"_

Niall's eyes widened comically. "Andrew."

_"Niall? Is that you?"_

Niall quietly frowned at that, was he audibly unrecognisable? "Yes, it is. How did you get this number?" The blond was beyond confused and a little bit creeped out.

_"It was a hassle but that's not important, I came to ask if you were alright? I discovered only recently that you left in Malik's limo, were his seats heated?"_

Niall's smile turned to a frown, he furrowed his brows. "What?"

_"Were his seats **heated** , Niall, it's not a difficult question." _

The blond rolled his eyes, "No, they were a normal italian leather."

_"Ha! Mine are. Heated, that is. Leather also."_

Niall scoffed, feeling quite insulted as to how Andrew used him as a means of gathering information just so he can better his rival. "Is that what you called me for? You don't actually care about my wellbeing, do you?"

_"Of course I do, you being Malik's employee was just a bonus to my interest."_

"Your interest?" Now this piqued Niall's curiosity. "What interest?"

_"You, of course."_

Niall's mouth fell open, a silence falling over the line and Niall could feel an uncomfortable cringe beginning to rise. "W-Well, what do you want with me?" He could tell that this was getting bad.

_"A night. Maybe more if you were interested in another round."_

Niall spluttered, what was it with men and they're confidence these days? And why was Niall always seen as some sex object? He politely declined. "No thanks." Niall heard a small chuckle and he was sure as hell that _that_ did _not_ belong to Andrew at all. He knew that chuckle all too well. The blond's back straightened, standing up in realisation.

 

Zayn was listening to their conversation.

 

Niall's eyebrows raised high on his forehead, glancing up to the corner of them room where the camera tracked his reaction. The lens zooming in on him and taking in each of his movements. He glared at it.

Andrew let out an annoyed huff.  _"A night is all I'm asking for Niall, just long enough for me to fulfil all the things I want to do to you."_

Niall held back the urge to roll his eyes because _hm_ , those words sounded _familiar_. He contemplated whether or not he should state this so Zayn could overhear but his name was called out, snapping him from his thoughts.

_"Niall?"_

Oh right.

"Sorry, Garfield. A no's a no." The blond takes a glance out of his window, his office small but the great view of the city streets outside made up for it. His reply seemed to have triggered something because then the man was groaning.

_"Malik got some.."_

Niall heard him whisper and the mere mention of his name flared Niall's anger. "Is this all I am to you? I'm not some whore on the streets, mister. And I am not someone to be fought over like some meaningless object," he's been treated like this before in the past. Meaningless, the word echoed in his head. He wasn't like that, not anymore. "You keep talking about Malik then why don't you just go fuck him yourself?"

_"Alphas don't fuck alphas, darling. And you admit to having slept with him?"_

 

Niall let out an aggravated groan, "Have a fucking good day." He growled before slamming the phone onto it's hold. Niall sat back down in his seat with a frown, releasing long breaths to try and calm himself down. His accent tended to thicken when enraged, and his face got all hot and flustered. A few seconds pass of fruitless attempts of breathing normally before his phone rang again. He pressed the phone to his ear roughly, "What?!"

_"Hm, you're cute when you're mad."_

Niall grimaced. "I'm supposed to be having lunch right now, please leave me alone." He muttered before sighing.

_"Yes and I'm supposed to be at a meeting. As creepy as it sounds, watching you was way more entertaining."_

Niall arched his eyebrow at the black lens focusing in on him in the corner. "Enjoy the show?"

_"I did, thank you. Quite like the part where you said no, it was very thrilling."_

Niall snorted but couldn't hold back the smile that made it's way onto his face. "I'm still quite upset with you, Malik." And as he remembers, he reaches into his shirt and takes the chain out, eyeing it bemusedly.

_"I'm aware."_

 

Niall watched the light bounce off the silver, seeing it glow in the ray of the sun shining outside.

_"You like it?"_

Niall nods with a hum. "Never seen anything like it," he squints at it, rubs the pad of his thumb over the front and feels the engraved language against his calloused skin. "What does it say?"

_"Trust and loyalty."_

Niall snorts at the irony. "Something our agreement lacks, wouldn't you agree?"

There's a thick silence from the other line before a hesitant voice begins to speak once more. _"I was hoping I could change that, actually."_

Niall dropped the necklace back into his shirt, lip caught between his teeth as he waits for what Zayn has to say. "How?"

_"Not right now, clearly we're too busy. But somewhere in the near future, maybe. You deserve more of an explanation than anyone."_

Niall laughs, cheeks flushed as he speaks quietly. "You sound as if we've known each other forever."

_"It does feel that way, yes."_

The blond doesn't understand. "What do you mean?"

_"This got intimate far too quickly but I'd like to tell you anyway. I warn you though, it might change your mind about this whole agreement thing."_

Niall shakes his head, wants to hear what Zayn has to say. "We have to be open with each other, don't we? I'm sure whatever you have to say won't be that mind-changing."

_"You never know. I wouldn't like to risk losing you, you're as stubborn as it is. You avoiding me like you have been ever since the charity dinner was quite upsetting. I just backed off like you wanted me to."_

"You're usually quite persistent, Zayn. Since when did you allow a stubborn, Irish man stop you from getting what you want?" Niall was genuinely curious with his tone of voice. It was back to that hushed sound of his, quiet and low and if Niall's thoughts were correct, he should be staring down at the floor just like he did back at the dinner.

 

_"Ever since I felt as if we were connected."_

 

Niall bites his lip, feels a sudden cool rush flow through him that made him feel suddenly at ease. "If that's the confession you were so apprehensive in telling me then that's a little stupid."

A chuckle comes from the other side and it has Niall almost smiling. _"Are you calling me stupid?"_

"No, I'm just saying that it's not as big as you made it out to be." He hesitates whether to continue but then remembers the reason for the argument and decides to be honest. "I kind of feel the same way."

_"I'm glad you do."_

 

There was something about Zayn that made Niall feel more calm with himself (when Zayn's not trying to seduce him that is), and the blond can't help but feel quite comfortable around him. He never takes notice of the feeling though, assuring himself it's because of their sexual attraction to each other but deep down Niall knew it was a little more. A short breath leaves him and the blond finds his shoulders slumping; he was breathing normally. Niall's eyes widened, before the call, his breathing was erratic and angered, the sound of Zayn's voice must have steadied the beat of his heart. Niall smiles. He feels as if he can relate to Zayn, but that always made him think _how_ because they were both so unlike each other.

They were both so different but also the same.

 

_"You know, Niall.. you're the first person I've ever been so open to."_

The blond laughs breathily. "Open? I don't even know your middle name."

_"Yes but usually, I would have never let you know of what I felt."_

 

Niall sees where he's coming from, notices the way Zayn seems so shut down and steely in meetings; emotionless. But the last meeting held more emotions than the first, which makes Niall question if he has anything to do with it.

 

"Guess we can tick the 'trust' box then." He mumbles and yawns slightly, wondering if he was even going to eat lunch on this "lunch break" of his.

_"I'm hoping you can also tick the 'I'm not mad at Zayn anymore' box as well."_

Niall grins. "We'll just have to wait and see."


	9. Stickin' like some glue

The day after, Niall feels oddly too tired to function. He guesses all those long nights of working had finally caught up on him, because he literally had to drag himself to the shower. The cold water seemed to have woke him up a bit, his eyes slightly more open than earlier but it was only when he remembered what was happening tomorrow that he suddenly livened up and rushed to the car parked outside.

Like usual, Tom was there, which Niall was quite thankful for because it saves him time and that way he doesn't have to go on public transportation. _Anything_ but going on a bus full of smelly old people and crying children.

Niall arrives outside the desk only by a minute late but he doesn't care, he rushes in and runs towards Harry's office, which was seemingly a bad idea because he can see something happening through the glass.

Louis and Harry were arguing.

Niall halts right outside the door, fingers hovering over the metal handle realising it would be really rude of him to just walk right in the middle of an obvious fight.

Harry was sitting at his desk, Louis looking absolutely furious from what Niall can see (his back was facing him), fists clenched and shoulders rising up and down. The lad seated sees Niall at the door and he looks crestfallen, only staring at Niall with eyes full of sadness. Louis catches on and turns towards the blond and Niall can finally see that his eyes are bloodshot red, presumably from crying.

The smaller man sniffs, wipes his tears and puts on a weak smile, acting the opposite to what he truly felt in order to not seem so weak. Niall frowns, he could relate. Having nothing to do but feel awkward, Niall thought it would be okay to stretch his arms out in a hug. It seems to have worked because Louis' chuckling airily, accepting the blond's gesture with great eagerness. He whispers a quiet "thank you" in Niall's ear and Niall only realises in that small moment how they were pretty much the same height.

"Good luck on your presentation." Louis chuckles, pats Niall's head and walks away before Niall can even reply.

They were left alone, him and Harry, and from by the looks of things, Harry doesn't seem fit to work. "You alright?" He calls out, Harry glances up at him with an emotionless bob of his head.

"Right." Niall nods. "Is there anything specific I need to do today? And do you want me to make some coffee?"

"Yes please, thank you."

Niall finds the break room with much more ease than the first time but he forgets how to function the goddamn coffee machine. He doesn't understand why the damn buttons don't work when he pushes them because he has to press them more than once and _oops_ , the thing just starts gushing out coffee into a cup. More coffee than the actual cup can hold.

When the cup fills to the brim, Niall pulls the mug away and panics, backs away as the coffee pours onto the counter before dripping onto the floor. The blond's eyes widened, "Fuck."

He rushes to try and soak it up with numerous tissues but his attempts are futile and he just ends up muttering the word "fuck" or "shit" under his breath nonstop. He can't tell Harry about this, the man just had an argument with his husband, he doesn't need anymore problems, if he told anybody else it would just be completely embarrassing. He can imagine what people would say about him. _Hey, new guy broke the coffee machine in the break room. How stupid is he?_ Niall pouts at the situation, wants to cry but finds that he's wasted all the tissues on trying to dry the thing up, which by the way, has finally stopped gushing.

He stares down at the brown puddle and looks at the door, closed just like he left it but it doesn't mean that no one's going to come in. He contemplates whether or not he should call somebody to clean it up or to just go clean it himself.

He scratches the hair at the back of his neck, today was _not_ his day.

Hours later and Niall was quite pissed off if he was honest, he normally was so positive about everything but right now he was pissed off about everything. He cleaned up the mess in the break room fortunately. Well, not him, but the _cleaner_ did, and Niall just watched him do his job with a sheepish smile, and since then this whole day was just rolling down a very steep hill. And plunging into the ocean.

His boss was a mess, Harry can't think properly and Niall can tell he's trying but he looks so worried all the time and the blond begins to wonder if that's what marriage is like, what love is like. A constant flow of emotions and worry when the other isn't particularly happy with you. That's what Niall can see, notices how Harry needs someone there for him but that _someone_ is the someone that is currently mad at him.

See, this is why Niall doesn't want a relationship when you have a job like Harry’s. If something happens, it gets complicated. Love is like handing someone a gun and asking them to point it at your head while hoping they won't pull the trigger.

For many years, Niall had suffered with this gun pointed at his head and for most of his life he's wanted to pull on the trigger himself but right now was different, things were easier.

As the day progressed, Niall slowly became more and more drunk with fatigue, he remembers how he hasn't had a good rest in ages, many hours spent staying up late on the laptop doing nothing but spending nice alone time with himself (and his dick), and then waking up early the next morning, half dead.

His eyes begin to droop and his mug was empty (because he fucking broke the goddamn machine), just a small nap won't hurt anyone, right? Harry was busy, everyone else was as well, five minutes was all Niall needed. He rests his head on the desk, feeling his whole body get heavier as he finally closed his eyes.

As he slumped forward, lower lip jutted (it was something his mother adored every time she tucked him in bed as a child), the phone rang and Niall's never been more angry. "Are you _fucking_ kidding me."

He picks up the phone and answers with his teeth clenched into a tight smile. "Harry Styles' office, Niall Horan speaking."

_"Niall,"_

"Liam?"

_"Yeah,"_

This made Niall extremely nervous, Liam's tone was panicked and he sounded as if he was shaking.

_"Niall, I – help me."_

Alarmed, Niall shot up in his seat. "W-What is it? What happened?"

_"It's Danielle."_

His short replies weren't helping Niall's erratic breathing at all, his eyes widening and his face showing obvious signs of worry. "What _about_ her?"

_"Sh-She's really kinky."_

Niall slammed his head on the desk, face flushing with humiliation. "Liam, you had me thinking something really bad happened." He groaned into the phone.

 _"Sorry, Ni. I'm panicking right now though. She's into.."_ There's a shuffle and Niall flinched at the loud crackle of his breathing. _"Tying up._ "

The blond snorted, eyebrows bouncing. "Well, tie her up then. You might like it."

_"No! No, that's not what I meant."_

"Then what did you mean?" Niall was too tired for this conversation.

_"She wants t-to tie **me** up."_

"Oh." Niall feels his face pale, he can see the problem. "That's – that's nice?" He doesn't know what to say, he doesn't know the right words to comfort his friend because he's never been in a situation like this.

_"Ni, you gotta help me out here, mate."_

The blond sighs. "Liam, I can't – I don't _know_. I've never been tied up before." Doesn't really like the idea either. "Tell me exactly what she wants to do to you." He says before taking it back. "Actually _don't_ tell me exactly what she said, I don't want things to get graphic over the phone."

He hears Liam laugh before his nervous tone returns. _"She said she wants to tie me up and blindfold me and ride my–"_

"Okay! Okay, I've heard enough." Niall's sweating. "Frankly, I don't see the problem here, Payno."

_"I just don't like the thought of not being able to touch what I want to touch."_

Niall coos, that's a little cute if you think about it in the none sexual context. "We all want things we can't have, Li. Just relax and go with it, she loves you right? She'll take care of you."

Liam snorts. "Some pretty deep advice from a guy who's never had a serious relationship before." Niall's breath hitches, feels his fists clench at the subject because he _can't help it_. The subject was something he didn't like to discuss.

 _"Sorry, Ni."_ Came Liam's apology. Niall shrugs, shakes his head and sighs.

"It's fine." He runs a hand through his hair, he's lying to both Liam and to himself. "Listen, Li. I gotta go, okay?" He finds himself twirling the necklace in his fingers. "I need to prepare for tomorrow's presentation."

_"Okay."_

"See you later, right?"

_"Yeah, sorry Ni."_

"It's fine." Niall doesn't even bother to say goodbye, just hangs up the phone and continues with his work. He feels that heavy weight on his chest again, the feeling of nothingness, he felt weak, he felt _empty_. But he didn't need anything to fill that void, he didn't need anybody but himself.

His mother was a good example of his needs. Her past husbands weren't exactly the best, that's the reason  why Niall's so wary of Simon. 

The blond glares at his desk before picking up the necklace and staring at it again. It's silver and it catches the light pretty easily, reflecting brightly into Niall's eyes. He smiles. 

He suddenly doesn't feel as empty anymore.

—

The next day was hell, Niall had his papers ready, all neatly put into one file. He looks at the manila folder with pride, with the data Niall's found in one night, Zayn just had to accept at least one of Harry's concepts, Niall's sure of it.

When he jogs towards Harry's office, his smile falters when he sees the man with his head in his hands. He doesn't look as excited as Niall was. "Sir," he cleared his throat in order to get his attention.

He looks up and Niall notices that his eyes were bloodshot. Oh dear. "Sorry, sorry." He rubs a hand down his face, "It's nothing, I'm fine."

He's not. “Sir, you don't seem like it." 

Harry shrugs, stands up with a folder of his own in his hands, "Its just problems at home." Niall's fists clench, he feels the need to do something. As unsupportive as he was of some marriages, he can't help but want to save _this_ one.

"Excuse me for interfering, but may I ask what you two were arguing about?"

Harry smiles gently, wets his lips and sniffles a bit. "Louis says I don't spend enough time with him, that I care about my job more than I care about him." He sounds a bit angry as he says it, his eyes squinting and his nostrils flared. 

"That's not true though, right?" Better not be. 

"Of course not! I just – I just forgot.."

"Forgot what? His birthday?" Ouch, that would hurt him. Definitely. "No, our anniversary." Niall frowned, that was even worse.

"Then you need to make it up to him." He says, stopping Harry from trying to leave the room, Niall honestly shouldn't be so nosy in their relationship. The taller man groans, "I know, I just don't know how."

 

"Go to him, show him. Don't apologise because actions speak louder than words." Niall's not sure why he gives such great relationship advice, it's probably because he's seen so many failed relationships that he's learned from other people's mistakes and took it to heart. It's one of the reasons why he doesn't consider a serious relationship, trusting somebody that much was too much.

For some odd reason, he starts thinking about Zayn. Could he trust that man? He's treated Niall's body well, made him feel like a new person, made him feel as if all the bad things never happened. Niall blinks, right now wasn't the right time to think about Zayn.

 

"Go to him? What, _now_?"

Niall's eyes widen. _Shit_. "N-No! I–"

"You're right, if I go now, he'll realise how much he means to me." The smile on his face outweighed the disappointment Niall had because this wasn't supposed to happen. Harry grips his shoulders. "You're a genius, Horan." He grins wide, pinches Niall's cheek with a excited chuckle.

"Mr. Styles, thank you, but what about the–" Niall was cut off.

"You'll do fine, he'll say yes no matter what you do!" There was no point stopping him, he was given the folder and Harry was already heading towards the elevator, long legs taking huge strides; the man was unstoppable.

Niall took a look at the folder that Harry slammed into his chest and gulps, he hasn't stood up and spoke in front of people in years, he wasn't as confident as he seemed and Zayn's predatory gaze was not going to fucking help, Niall was sure. He'll just stare at the directors, or maybe something else. Something to distract himself from the sex god's lethal gaze.

—

"You have _got_ to be _fucking_ kidding me."

Zayn smirks, fingers rubbing the stubble that littered his chin. "I won't have that sort of language in my conference room, Niall." He sat there, one large table in front of him with his ankle resting on his knee, looking very smug and mischievous all at the same time.

"I believe you have a presentation for me?"

"I believe that I have a presentation for you _and_ your directors," Niall's seething, the folders in his arms pressed tightly to his chest as he ground his teeth. "I only see _you_ , Mr. Malik."

"And I don't want you to see anybody else." His voice had lowered into a softer tone, eyes glimmering with a look Niall knew all too well. The blond rolled his eyes. "Where are they anyway? Your little followers," he mumbles the last part, sitting at the opposite end of the table. Purposely avoiding being seated next to the bronzed god who was clearly enjoying Niall's presence.

Zayn's eyebrow twitched, lips curling into an amused smile. Niall was distancing himself from him. "I told them that it would be better if I went alone." He says slowly in his husky tone. 

"And they agreed?" He couldn't believe it. That was absolutely ridiculous. Had Malik that much power? Niall could agree that he was intimidating but this was their job, to be here, they should at least toughen up and say something.

"They always do." He grins. "I told them that it would be better for you to have only two pairs of eyes watching him than five. Harry's absence just made this even better." The man leans back in his chair, clearly entertained.

"Harry had to leave because his marriage was at stake." Niall frowned as he said it, he honestly does hope it goes well with those two, they were very close and seeing Harry so broken made Niall feel just as bad. Zayn's face softens, eyes flickering down towards the floor as he smiles softly, fingers fumbling with his rings. "That was very kind of you."

A beat of silence fell amongst the room as the two stared intently at each other, it's the first time they've seen each other after that conversation and surprisingly, it didn't feel so awkward. The two actually felt quite closer, in a way. Mentally of course, Zayn was quite upset with how far away Niall was.

"Why are you sitting so far, Niall? Better yet, why are you even sitting at all." Zayn invaded the quiet, straightening himself as he leant forward, clearly showing interest when Niall fiddled with the two manila folders in his hands.

"I got tired of standing." The blond shrugs with his lips pressed together, an expression he made every time he was unsure of something. His mother loved his face, his pink cheeks and dimples were her favourite. Oh, mother. 

Zayn chuckled, eyes glinting gold as they shamelessly roamed Niall's body. Of course, he could only see the upper half of him, but it was just as delectable as the rest located beneath his waist. Specifically between his thighs was where Niall was most delicious.

"You should get used to it, sitting down won't be an option the next time I have my way with you." Niall gasped, feeling the familiar tingle in his stomach and he cleared his throat. Ignore it, he told himself. "Actually, standing would be pretty difficult as well. You'd have to crawl." Ignorance is bliss, he repeated in his head. 

The blond bit his lip, he couldn't help it, Zayn looked as gorgeous as ever in his grey fitted suit. Niall can't help but let his mind wander to him without his suit on, the limo ride wasn't enough to sate his sexual needs. He needed to see Zayn naked.

"What are you thinking about, Mr. Horan?"

 _Hmm_ , should he be honest? He huffs out a short laugh and shrugs his shoulders. "I was just day dreaming, Mr. Malik, don't mind me." Of course, Zayn being the nosy bastard he was, dove into the subject eagerly. "What exactly were you day dreaming about?"

"I'd love to tell you," Niall stands, the papers rustling in his palms. "But I have to present something to you, so do you mind?"

Zayn pretends as if the words Niall had just said didn't exist, going in one ear and out the other. "Come sit with me, Niall." He pulls the chair next to him, beckoning the blond to come closer. Niall's hesitant. "Do I get to present to you?" He questions. 

"Of course, though what you present doesn't have to be on paper." He smiles suggestively and Niall's left to roll his eyes, a small smile he wasn't able to hold back appearing on his face. "If you accept that concept, that would certainly shock some people, my ass used as advertisement for Vodka? Jackpot." He pretends to cheer, chuckling lightly as he seats himself next to the older man.

Zayn looks as if he's thinking something over his head and his eyes light up with inspiration. "That's actually a pretty good idea." The words had Niall dumbfounded, his jaw dropped.

Zayn bursts into a fit of chuckles, making Niall both sigh with relief and frown greatly. "Don't fucking scare me like that, Malik." He growls, though he probably looks like an angry chihuahua.

"Can a man not joke around, Mr. Horan?"

Niall glares at him. "No."

There were too many silences in their conversations, which Niall didn't like because every silence that occurred, Zayn had always used the moment to his advantage and would say something to catch Niall off guard.

"You really are beautiful, Niall." Like that for example.

The blond didn't know how to reply, he merely blushed and smiled while his fingers twitched in his lap, craving the feeling of cold metal in his fingers. Niall unintentionally bites his lip when he sees caramel irises flickering up and down and practically absorbing his body, taking in the image like some sort of machine. Niall chuckled a little at his thoughts, maybe Zayn was a robot.

"I hope you're not still mad at me."

Niall felt a little guilty, Zayn really does care. "I don't know if I should forgive you or not, you haven't exactly explained." He fiddles with his cufflinks, Zayn's eyes tracking each of his movements. 

Zayn's eyes lit up. "Well, in that case." He stands with a confident smile, extending his hand out for Niall to grasp. "I'd be happy to show you how sorry I really am." Niall accepts it without much hesitance and it's only when Zayn leads him towards the elevator that he realises what Zayn really meant. His heart starts to pound against his ribcage, feeling completely vulnerable when Zayn tugs him into the elevator.

He presses the button before turning towards Niall with a lust filled stare, his eyes intense. 

"I've missed you, Niall." Zayn whispers as he stood in front of him, leaning down to kiss his behind his ear, the blond gasps when he takes the lobe into his mouth, sucking softly. "I've missed your taste, your smell." His hand crawled up Niall's sides, the elevator's deep hum fading in the background as Niall slowly lost his senses.

"God, you're delicious." He places a lingering peck to Niall's lips and the blond quivered with want at the action, immediately whining when Zayn pulled away.

 

By the time the doors open, Niall was already a mewling mess. He prayed to the heavens that Zayn's workers, assistants, anybody located on the floor didn't see how sexually wrecked he was. Zayn barely kissed him in that goddamn elevator, yet he was shaking in anticipation from a brush of his fucking lips.

God, what is this guy doing to him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a day late, I was finishing prompts for my tumblr I ended up forgetting to update this!


	10. Taking it back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's a day late. Yesterday and today have been the shittiest.   
> Aha, hope you like.

Once the black screen had fully covered the glass doors, Zayn slowly pressed Niall against him, his erection right against the blond's hip while he peppered Niall's jaw with kisses.

”I've wanted you for so long." He whispered, his tongue swirling over a place on Niall's neck and sucking harshly at his flesh until it was dark purple. He soothed it over with his saliva before drawing back and staring at Niall with his eyes half-lidded and dark. The blond wasn't responding, falling pliant in his arms and letting Zayn mark his skin with bites and shapes and colours of all kinds, he was a mess right now, but he was sober enough to place his hand on Zayn's chest; stopping him.

His hazel guys rapidly searched Niall's face with his brows furrowed in worry, "What?" He asked in a slightly panicked tone, large hands cupping Niall's face.

Niall had chuckled at that, lifting his hands to lay over Zayn's before gently pulling them off. "I just wanted to ask how long we have, my presentation duration wasn't exactly long."

Zayn sighs, pulls Niall close to him while he noses along the column of his throat. There was something about the colour of Niall's skin that fascinated him. Paler than his own with freckles placed in the most delightful places, the flesh also flushed under his touch and that gave him this mad sense of power. His lips slowly curled up and the sight had Niall sweating, his body igniting with heat that was transmitted from Zayn's overwhelming warmth.

"C'mon, sunshine." Niall froze, his skin suddenly igniting with goosebumps as his breath hitched in fear. Displeased by the lack of reaction, Zayn growled, hands wandering over to his sides, sliding down to squeeze his cheeks roughly.

"Speak." He groaned, lining their cocks up before grinding himself onto Niall forcefully, not noticing that the whimper that escaped the blond's lips was one of distaste instead of pleasure.

The blond's hands fisted Zayn's shirt as the images flashed through his head. Zayn continued kissing down his neck and loosening his tie and Niall gasped, squeezing his eyes shut as the memories flowed through.

 

_"C'mon, sunshine." The older lad purred as he shed a fourteen-year-old Niall's clothes off slowly. The blond was shaking like a leaf, blue eyes wide and his skin flushed from utter humiliation._

_He could barely change in front of the other boys in his year, not even at home where he had two towels to cover his upper and his lower half when walking back to his room. That's the way it's always been, and he doesn't know why, but it's just how he is, and to have this man practically force him to face his biggest insecurity was like a stab in the back._

_Niall was stripped from his only layer of protection and he stood there, quivering and naked, watching his older step brother's gaze darken as they roamed his pale flesh. "You look absolutely stunning." Niall didn't respond._

_It didn't even feel like a compliment, it didn't make him smile or feel warm, it made him feel the opposite and the sly curl of his lips didn't change his mind. Niall didn't know what to say, he didn't know what to do. He did know what was going to happen but he couldn't bring himself to speak. His throat went dry, chapped lips forming the words 'stop' but nothing but rasped air was released._

_"Why do you look so scared, sunshine?" Niall wasn't fooled by his soft tone, aware of the hand crawling up his back and carding through his silky dyed locks, Niall shuddered. "Why are you not answering me?" He fisted Niall's hair and brought his face up close to his._

_The blond's heart skyrocketed, his lips wobbling as he tried to say something, **anything.**_

_His fingers loosened before tightening it's grip and throwing Niall onto the floor, the weak boy's body slapping hard against the cold tiles and causing the tears to fully form in his eyes. He heard the sound of a belt being unbuckled and the zipper going down. "I guess since you don't have a voice, you can't say anything to stop me."_

_Niall's head whipped up and his blood ran cold. **No,** he thought, **no, please. I don't want this**._

_"You have sommin' to say, sunshine?"_

_Niall's head was a constant flow of **no** and he shook his head to try and convey what he was saying but his attempts were futile. The older lad bent forward, his bulge large and shamelessly on display._

_"Ah, so you **don't** have something to say. That's alright, then."_

_He picked him up by his hair and dragged him towards the bathtub in the corner of the room, throwing him forward so Niall splayed his hands against the lip so he didn't fall into it. He immediately regretted catching himself once he glanced up at his reflection, seeing him standing behind his smaller frame. His eyes glinted as he stroked Niall's back, watching the blond's knees buckle as he chuckled deeply. He gripped the back of Niall's head and pulled it back so his neck stretched._

_The brunet leaned forward, smirking at their reflections before wetting his lips. "Speak." He whispered, his red mouth right below Niall's ear. The blond writhed when he felt the hard member hitting his cheeks, tears fell from his eyes and he parted his lips as he breathed in shakily._

_"D-Da–" he gasped as he felt it press against his hole. "Dante," he finally whispered, the brunet grinning triumphantly when the name fell from his lips._

_"S-sto–" he wasn't given any time to finish, because with one unexpected thrust, his purity was ripped from him; his innocence defiled as the blood dribbled down his thighs. **Mum,** was all he could think of. He hopes she's safe._

_The name Dante literally meant lasting and enduring, and last it did because after that, Niall was never the same because that night, he was rid of not only his virginity, but his sanity as well._

Zayn felt Niall quivering and he stopped, feeling the blond shake and hearing his throat rasp out croaky breaths. "N-Niall?" Zayn went into a mini state of panic and gripped the blond's shoulders, shaking him until he notices the blond's eyes wide but vacant.

Zayn slowly lifted his hand and softly cupped his cheek but the blond pulled away, mouth forming the words of 'no' and 'stop' over and over again that it sent a chill down Zayn's spine. "Niall?"

His hand reaches to cup his throat while the other pets at the back of his head, remembering the times when Dante had gripped his throat to force him to speak but the words refused to spill, remembered when he had tugged at his hair so harshly his scalp had turned red. He remember everything and the sudden backlash had him crying and stepping away.

"Please," he breathed out but it was barely audible and he was covering his eyes as if the blocking of his sight would cause the vivid images flashing through his head to stop.

Zayn stepped back, wanting to reach out and hold him but he was clueless, helpless, _weak._ He swallowed thickly, feeling like he travelled back in time when the familiar feeling sank in his chest. He was useless right now.

"I-I'm sorry." He whispered, and his mind was screaming _hypocrite_ at him. Niall abruptly turned away and wiped his tears, breathing ragged as he points towards the doors, wanting to be released. Zayn gaped, mentally debating whether or not he should let Niall leave. He wanted the blond to stay with him, to talk with him and comfort him but at the same time he wanted the blond to go. He wanted Niall to turn away from him because never in Zayn's life had he wanted to make him _cry._

Out of pure sympathy, Zayn opened the screen and watched with a heavy heart as Niall scurries out despite the moving blocks not even opening to it's fullest.

He watched him leave just like the rest.

 

Niall keeps his head down and jogs towards the elevator presses the button and wipes at his eyes (which were no where near as dry as he wanted them to be). While the cart moved down, he sent a quick text to Tom, telling him he needed a ride home. He figures he's lucky when Tom replies with an _I'm already here_.

His fists are balled, squeezing them so tight it made his knuckles white. He keeps his eyes trained on the sleek shine of his shoes and hopes to God nobody sees him like this because _people will ask._ And when people ask, people will talk. And when people talk, they won't stop until they know the truth.

It's either that or they stick with some rumour somebody made up, which usually leads to frustration from the victim which ends with the truth anyway.

Niall doesn't want to tell the truth. He doesn't want people at his workplace to know about the things he's been through, there's a possibility of people viewing him differently and that means he won't just be the new kid who broke the coffee machine, he'd be the kid who broke the coffee machine and got buttfucked as a child by his step brother.

How _shit_ would that be?

He slams the car door shut and loosens his tie, unbuttoning his top button while he tries to keep down his sobs; eyes wet and lips quivering. Niall could feel Tom's worried stare through the mirror and he tries to say something but he's hiccuping his cries and it's a good thing Tom knew where to go or they would be there forever. "Back to the hotel, Sir?"

Niall gives him a meek nod and prays to God that Liam's there, hopes he's not busy and that he's ready for the many hours of much needed therapy that Niall needs.

—

Turns out Liam is there, and when Niall sees him, lying on the sofa with his cheek pressed to his phone, probably talking to Danielle, Niall feels guilty. Liam frowns and quickly mumbles a goodbye. "Babe, I gotta go, sorry. Niall needs me." He knows Danielle would understand his abrupt goodbye, she's got friends of her own that she would ditch Liam for any day and Niall's quite in awe of their relationship. _Goddamn,_ he thinks, _why does everybody have somebody and I don't?_

Liam embraces Niall's quaking figure and strokes his hair. "What's up with you, Ni?" His question is playful but his tone held just as much concern as Tom's glances towards the blond back at the car. Niall grips his shirt, the white fabric stained by his tears that merely fell harder just by the warmth of Liam's arms. The blond breathes in a deep breath so he could try and release a coherent sentence.

"It happened again." He whispered shakily, trying to calm himself down while he squeezed his eyes shut. "They won't go away."

Liam's hold tightens and Niall could hear his heart beat quickly as he rests his head into his chest. "Oh Niall," he sighs, feels a little useless in the situation even though knowing what to do.

There were these times where Niall would come home crying and Liam would comfort him, being the good friend that he is. Problem was, he didn't know why this happens to Niall and what caused him to be this way. Of course forcing it out of him wouldn't work, and that's highly disrespectful anyway, so Liam made a promise to himself that he would wait until Niall was ready to spill. The blond only gave him minor details such as having bad memories and nightmares and that was it. As Niall told him about his nightmare situation, it made Liam worried; if the blond was so traumatised by whatever had happened, he was sure it was something serious.

"C'mon, Ni." He says quietly, tugs at his jacket so Niall can take it off. If Liam wanted this to work, he had to get Niall comfortable. "Go back to your room and get changed, then we'll talk it out, okay?" He makes sure to keep his voice low and warm and when the blonds pulls away from him to strip, he smiles.

The blond shuffles to his bedroom and pulls himself out of his trousers, glances at the mirror and crinkles his nose as he sniffles. His eyes are red and his cheeks are flushed, his hair a disheveled mess and his nose as pink as ears. Niall looks away in disgust and tugs on a jumper, wipes his nose and tries to dry his eyes when he slides his legs into a warm pair of joggers.

He slowly walks out and sits himself onto the couch after hearing Liam in the kitchen. Niall could hear his feet padding against the cold tiles on the floor and his head whips around once he sees the lad come out with a mug of what Niall knew was hot chocolate. The blond shoots him a grateful smile, accepting the ceramic cup and keeping the hot beverage under his nose. It's been a while since this has happened, and Niall kind of misses it.

The younger takes a small sip and sighs, sniffles again and looks at Liam expectantly, he knows what's coming next. "So what happened?" He asks, body angled towards him to show that he had his full attention. If Liam made Niall completely ignore the situation, it wouldn't help him get over it and it practically condones the blond's silence and that's something Liam _didn't_ want. 

"It was Zayn." Was Niall's clear reply, taking another sip while his eyes take in Liam's reaction. He can see the fury flash over the brown hues of his eyes but he forced it back, Niall swallowed. "H-He didn't hurt me," he adds quickly, "It's j-just.." He stops to breathe, he always forgets doing that in moments like this, he's glad that Liam was able to help.

"He made me remember." Niall shuddered out with his eyes cast downwards towards his toes. He quietly takes another sip and regards Liam's reaction, sees how concerned he is about the situation. Blue eyes go blurry as his grip on the cup tightens.

He wishes he could explain to him, but he knows he isn't ready. Niall tended to cry a lot when he ever talked about it, he always had some kind of help but he figured if anybody was going to tell Liam what had happened to him, it should be him. 

His vision is obstructed by broad shoulders, the warmth of the mug removed from his palms and being placed onto the coffee table. As soon as Niall's realised what he had just done, he was wrapped into muscular arms. "I don't like seeing you like this." He whispers. Niall didn't even mind the sudden bursts of emotions and hugs because he's never felt so right with Liam. He will admit that the first time Liam had hugged him, he was a bit weirded out because he wasn't used to the affection and all the physical contact; explains why he's so overwhelmed by Zayn's touch. Niall frowns into his shoulder, why the _fuck_ does Zayn always come to mind?

Wait. Why is he mad at him anyway? It was mostly his fault, _he_ ran out. It wasn't Malik's fault that he accidentally triggered the disturbing memories of his childhood, Zayn was innocent. Niall winces, like he was.

 

The sound of his phone ringing snaps Niall from his Zayn-induced trance and he stares at the open door of his bedroom. "That's probably him." Niall whispered uncertainly, lip caught between his teeth while trying to go through the possibilities in his head. There wasn't a lot, but Niall stuck with his gut instinct and decided that no, he wasn't going to answer it. He's going to do what he does best and avoid facing his problems.

He looks down at the arms around his waist and he stares amusedly at Liam, arching a brow. Liam gave him a look of confusion before muttering an "oh" and unwrapping his hold, smiling sheepishly as he does so. It's still ringing even when Niall reaches over to grab the slightly less hot cup into his hands. "I think you should talk to him." The brunet murmured nonchalantly.

Niall harrumphed, rolling his eyes. "I'll do that another time," He uses one hand to wipe at the darkness under his eyes, drying his cheeks. "For now, I'm just going to completely ignore him. I don't need to deal with him right now." Liam looked convinced, bobbing his head. "You will eventually."

Knowing he was right, Niall frowned.

 

Tomorrow, he's going to have to face the questions asked by not only Zayn, but Harry too. Hell, maybe even the other workers if they saw him run out in such a state. Frankly, he was more scared of what the other employees have to say. He never did handle those types of things well.

All the questions scared him, actually. The thought of all the questioning looks that he could possibly be receiving when he walks into work the next morning.

 

He hears the phone ring again and Liam shoots him an expecting look, probably thinking Niall would shoot up and answer it but he isn't going to. He'll do anything to hold that type of conversation off until the next day. He knows Zayn's going to worry, he knows Zayn's going to demand answers and the thought of it scares him. After all, their first argument was caused due to lack of trust. Now that Zayn knows he's caused something that released such a strange and horrific reaction from Niall, he's going to want to know what he did wrong and why. 

Niall was the one to yell at him for their little rule, but he's also the one breaking them. He closes his eyes and sighs, gulps a small amount of the warm liquid and the feeling of it sliding down his throat was so damn relaxing. He notices Liam staring into space, probably thinking as well and Niall wonders what about. He smiles a little, asking himself if Liam was thinking about him and if he was okay. He is. Right now, Niall's okay. As close to okay as he can be, at least.

He hears the ringing again and this time, groans.

Liam is still lost in his thoughts but Niall actually gets up and pads timidly towards his room, hearing the ringing getting louder as he nears the bed where he left his phone after stripping. The carpet tickles his feet and he stops and stares at the bright screen. He frowns when he sees Zayn's name but can't help the small smile that graced his lips at the thought of how hard he was trying. 

The ringing stops and Niall lets out a breath he didn't even know he was holding and turns away, aiming to leave but he halts himself when he hears the phone ringing for the fourth time. _Wow,_ he thinks, _Zayn's really persistent_.

The image of his face, crestfallen with his eyes wide in distress, has Niall's insides curling with an unknown feeling.

 

Should he answer? 


	11. Back to where it's clear

There's so much hesitance in the way Niall picks up the ringing mobile into his hands, feeling incredibly small but he tries to not think about it too much. He answers with a futile attempt to sound confident. "H-Hello?"

"Niall," came Zayn's breathless reply. "Are you alright? Where are you? Are you safe?"

The blond sighed, so Zayn _wasn’t_ mad. _That’s good_ , he thinks, but sometimes worry is so much worse than anger.

"I'm fine." And he actually sounded it as well, he wonders if it was because of the concerned tone in Zayn's voice, if it maybe soothed him. He blinks at his wall slowly. "I'm fine." He repeats, as if the first time he said it wasn't assuring enough.

"Niall I'd hate to do this but, you need to – to _tell_ me. Being so clueless to what's wrong is making me feel completely–" he cuts himself off and it leaves Niall to wonder what he wants to say. "I just need to know."

The blond releases a shaky sigh. "I can't."

"Niall, _please,_ I –" Liam appears at the door and the look he gives him sent Niall chills, he looked so disappointed. "I have to go now." Niall cut him off before ending the call quickly and throwing his phone onto his bed without giving it a second glance, he walked out after that.

 

"Niall," Liam called out. _"Niall."_ He chased after him, watching as the lad jogged out, away from him. "Niall, you should tell him." He managed to grasp his elbow, stopping the lad completely.

Niall glared at him. "I don't think you have any right to tell me when I should explain myself to someone or not." He pulled his elbow away from his grip and walked quickly towards the kitchen. "What I experienced, Liam, was something so vile and degrading that you probably won't even see me the same way." He frowns, pouring himself a glass of water. "I don't even understand why you stick around when you've seen the way some things affect me."

"You have a trigger." Liam shrugs. "So what?"

Niall took a sip of his water and glared at Liam, the brunet frowned. "I didn't mean it that way."

"Then what _did_ you mean." His voice was low and menacing, as was his stare. Liam doesn't think he's ever looked at him that way. "I meant that I wouldn't care what you went through, Ni, I'm always here for you."

He sees him clench the glass in his fist before taking a long gulp. "I still won't say."

Liam nods hesitantly, still feeling against his decision but Niall was right, he shouldn't be telling him when he should explain himself; he'll say it when he's ready. "You can't run away from everything."

"Just shut the fuck up, Liam." He does.

 

—

 

Later on, Niall takes off the necklace Zayn gave him. He rests it under his pillow and the action feels oddly like a goodbye.

 

—

 

Zayn's pacing back and forth in his office, ignoring anybody who comes in, including the constant ringing of his phone. He can't think properly because he's //hurt Niall. Not even physically but emotionally was just as bad. That meek look in his eye, how vulnerable he appeared; Zayn had an idea of what Niall went through, and he can't help but want to hold him, to keep him safe and to tell him a thousand apologies.

He's practically dying when Niall hung up, and that was ten minutes ago. He's told himself that it was probably nothing and that Niall will be in tomorrow and Zayn can finally find out what everything was really about, although at the same time, he didn't want to.

He's had problems of his own. He's lost people, he's been left disappointed, he's disappointed others but most of all, he's left hurt.

 

He's never met anybody like Niall before though, never felt such a strong connection with anyone else apart from him. You could say that the blond irishman has completely beguiled him, won him over with his charming smile and his tantalising hips. Zayn doesn't think he's ever expressed as many emotions that he's expressed when he's with Niall, doesn't think that the things he feels when Niall's near is something similar to lust.

Niall was different, and so was he. But they made it work.

 

Anxiously, he grabs his phone and sends a text to Niall's number.

 

 **ZJM:** _Please come in tomorrow, I need to see you._

 

He doesn't get a reply until ten minutes later and he scrambled quickly to grab his phone.

 

 **NJH:** _No promises_.

 

Zayn smirks a little. There never will be a time where he doesn't find Niall's resistant side amusing.

 

 **ZJM:** _Please, Niall. We won't talk about it, I just need to know you're okay_.

 **NJH:** _I am okay_.

 

He's pleased to know that the texts were quick, feels that if it takes too long, he'd explode. 

 

 **ZJM:** _If you are okay, you'd come into work tomorrow_.

 **ZJM:** _I'm organising a meeting with you and Mr. Styles. Please be there._

 

The next few minutes were torture. But fortunately, Zayn manages to survive.

 

 **NJH:** _I'll see you tomorrow then_. 

 

And suddenly, Zayn's calm. _Good,_ he thinks, _he can breathe now._

 

 **ZJM:** _Thank you x_

 **NJH:** _:) x  
_

(Zayn's heart palpitates.)

 

* * *

 

 

The day after, Zayn waits in his office at breakfast. He bites his fingers anxiously and keeps an eye on the camera angled in Niall's office to see if he's come in yet.

He hasn't.

 

 _It's fine_ , Zayn told himself. After all, it was only morning.

 

So he waited.

—

 

 

And waited.

 

—

 

But Niall never came.

 

Zayn was sweating through his suit, the meeting with Harry going awkwardly swell but Zayn feared he was being a little too obvious.

They talked about the advertisement and where to display it but how Zayn acted through the whole thing was so not like him, he was being uncharacteristically fidgety and nervous, Harry even asked – well, stuttered – out an "are you okay?" to which Zayn replied with an honest answer.

"No, I'm actually not." He said with a frustrated sigh. "I'm really worried about someone, and I think I've upset them. I just.. I don't know what to do." He shouldn't be so open to Harry, the younger man could probably tell everyone all of Zayn's problems so it was best to stay secret when it comes to his and Niall's relationships. 

Harry perks up and grins wide, practically blinding Zayn with how white his smile was. "I know what you should do."

Zayn sat up from his seat and leaned forward, eyebrows raised, signalling for Harry to continue. To his delight, Harry gaped before shuffling forward, eager to get on his boss's good side. "You care about this person, right?" Zayn nods. "Then go to them," his eyes twinkled as he stared down at his marriage ring. "Show him you care and that you're sorry, actions speak louder than words, right? Prove it to him that they're important."

Zayn felt his throat go dry, oblivious to Harry's meaning. "Him?"

The younger man chuckled, shaking his head. "Sorry, I was just thinking back on something."

"Oh." He wet his lips. "Right."

"Yeah, that was actually the main reason why I wasn't in yesterday's presentation." Harry looked ashamed. Poor lad. "I'm really sorry, Sir."

Zayn's lips pursed together while his thumb played with the rings on his own fingers, remembering yesterday and him and Niall's pleasant conversation just before _it_ happened. He grimaced immediately but he swiped the expression from his face, trying to replace it with his usual steely look but it didn't prevent the worry from seeping through to the outside. "It's fine, Niall had explained to me anyway and the presentation went wonderful, if you were wondering." He forced a believable smile onto his face. 

"Did it? I knew Ni would do a great job on it!" He looked proud, and for some strange reason, Zayn feels oddly _mad_ _._

His eyebrows furrowed together before his eyes flashed a dangerous brown. _"Ni?"_ How come he doesn't give Niall a nickname like that? Should he start calling him that? But that's unoriginal. Zayn blinks slowly, _sunshine_ is the only thing that comes to mind.

"Oh, yeah. I don't know where that came from," he chuckles nervously. _Your stupid fucking mouth, that's where_ , Zayn thought before he bit his lip, chiding himself because that was incredibly rude of him, even if Harry hadn't heard. "Niall's just a really good employee, and a friend." He spoke affectionately of him.

"Friend, huh?" Zayn really dislikes the way he's acting by a massive amount. He thinks maybe it's because of his previous incident with Niall is why he's jealous of Harry because the younger man currently holds a better place in Niall's heart than he does right now.

"Yeah, Niall was actually the one who told me about the "show him you care" thing. Figured that since it helped me, it could help you, too. " He smiled helpfully and Zayn was quite amazed by how positively jolly this man looked. He looked like he was enjoying his life, living it with no problems. It made Zayn internally scowl at his own but he was snapped from his reverie by the sound of Harry clearing his throat. "Sorry, I think we should continue discussing the vodka."

Zayn smiled, real and genuine. "It's no problem, _Harry."_ And the lad looked even more happier.

 

The darker man hid a smile beneath the hand that softly rubbed his stubble, thoughts of shaving passed his mind but it was only for a second. His mind was set on his new mission and he was certain he'll win Niall back once he's executed his plan.

It had to work. It was Niall's idea after all.

 

* * *

 

  

During dinner, it seemed like everything had cooled off. Niall was content and felt a little less sick, he wasn't shaking anymore or crying and the argument with Liam was forgotten. So Niall doesn't under-fucking-stand why Liam had to bring up – no, not the _previous_ subject, the subject that Niall refuses to talk about, especially since what happened earlier.

"So how do you feel about Malik?"

Niall dropped his spoon in anger, his eyes squeezing shut as he shook his head. "Are you honestly asking me that," It wasn't really a question, it was more of a curse because, for _fuck's sake_ , he's _just_ gotten over it, why's Liam bringing it up? This is probably the only time Niall's been so mad at him.

"Just answer the question, Ni.." He looks upset and at this point, they've stopped eating completely. Niall doesn't reply, just stares at his plate – that was barely touched because thanks Liam, thanks for bringing _that_ up.

"Niall, c'mon. What you have with this guy seems pretty serious and I think –"

"I've had enough of hearing what you think, Liam. Can I please just have my meal in peace?" How worse would this meal be if Liam was the one that cooked. Niall was glad he replied with silence, nothing heard but the clinking of their knives and forks hitting their plates.

 

Niall began to think.  
How _did_ he feel about Zayn?

The man was amazing. He was beautiful, charming, gentlemanly and extremely erotic; he oozed sex appeal all the while radiating with kindness and mystery. The only negative thing about Zayn was his ignorance and determination. He hasn't forgotten how annoyingly persistent Zayn was in pursuing him, hasn't forgotten that goddamn charity dinner, either. Now that he's thinking about it, Niall's quite curious. Who _was_ the man Zayn was talking too?

His lips curled. Looks like he wasn't the only one that was hiding things.

 

"Ni," he clears his throat. "What actually happened that made you.. like _this?"_

"Liam, I'm not going to talk about it."

The brunet looks deep in thought before dropping his knife and fork. "Okay." He stands up and leaves the room, leaving the blond confused and alone. Niall furrowed his brows before chasing after him, grasping his elbow and pulling him back. "Where are you going?" He asked but Liam continued down the hallway, slipping his arms through the holes of his jacket that was hung on the coat rack.

"I'm heading out."

Niall bites his lip and fiddles with the fabric of his sleeve. "Are you mad at me?" Liam shakes his head in disagreement. "I'm not, but right now, I feel like _you_ are. So I'm leaving." The blond's face drops and he looks hurt. He stops him again, this time, determined to make him stay. "I'm not mad at you! Don't go," He feels like if he lets Liam go through that door, their friendship is over and he doesn't want to think of it like that but the way Liam looks at him as he unlocks the door tells Niall that he's hanging onto this by thread.

"I'm not mad at you, either, but I don't want us to get into a big argument about it. Think of this as a way to calm down, because of the night continues, we might say some things we'll immediately regret." They've never been like this before, but something's bubbling up in Niall's stomach that tells him that there's something more than what he's giving. Liam turns but Niall stops him again, staring into his eyes to try and decipher the precise emotion he's feeling. Niall can't see anything but –

Liam shrugs off his grip. "I think we just need some time to think."

Niall frowns. "Are you going to stay at Dani's?" Liam looks confused for a second before his brows raise; he nods slowly. "Yeah. Just to clear my mind." He mumbles awkwardly. "Yours too." He adds a second later and Niall's left to nod. The blond wants to ask _what's wrong?_ And _are you okay?_ But then he figures that's exactly what Liam's been doing with him earlier and that he's been denying him so what's the point? Being a hypocrite doesn't give Liam any reason to stay. 

The door slowly opens and what Niall sees is quite a shocking sight. There Zayn is, his suit wrinkled and his face scrunched up in worry, his eyes wide while his fist was raised - clearly just about to knock. Liam sighs annoyed, glancing back over his shoulder at Niall and shrugging his shoulder's. "Looks like you're night's sorted." And with that, he walks away, leaving a panicked Zayn with a nervous Niall. The blond frowns, there's definitely something wrong with him.

 

When his figure disappears into the elevator, Zayn turns to Niall urgently. "I have some questions that need answering."

Niall smirks, pulling him inside. "So do I."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you think is wrong with Liam :)


	12. Sounds of love are in the air

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so fucking sorry, oh my goddddd. I had exams and studying plus no actual time for writing so I'm sorry! This is 3,000 words exactly, wow.
> 
> I'm going to try and update every sunday but the chapters will be short, I figured that's an easier alternative since trying to reach 3000 words every two weeks was proven to be difficult for me and my stupid ass schedule.

Niall locks the door and leads Zayn into the living room before sitting him down, plopping himself on the couch facing opposite him awkwardly. "Would you like some water?"

Zayn shakes his head. "As thirsty as I am, no." Niall replies with a silent nod, staring down at the coffee table with his bare feet tucked under his bum. A few seconds pass before Zayn's sighing and stating why he came here in the first place. "I wanted to ask you what happened when we were.." He gulps. It was clearly difficult for the both of them to recollect yesterday's events.

As confident as Niall was earlier about asking Zayn his questions, there's a large part of him that really doesn't want to speak at all. He appreciates Zayn's patience when he doesn't reply, instead, just staring down at his lap with no intention of giving away exactly what happened. He would love to tell Zayn, but he doesn't know if he should. He's had trouble trusting people in the past and trusting a man he's only known for barely even two weeks doesn't sound like a bad idea either, there was also the possibility of Zayn using the information against him and Niall just couldn't handle the thought of being humiliated by him in front of everyone.

He's about to open his mouth when Zayn breaks the silence. "You took off the necklace."

Niall's frown deepens as he looked down at his bare collar before looking back at Zayn, who wore the most hurt expression Niall's ever seen on a face. His mouth parts to speak but he has nothing to say; no explanation for what he did and he feels his lip wobble. 

"Why?" Zayn continued, his voice croaky with what Niall identified as a broken sob. He glances up and he sees how hard Zayn was trying to fight back his emotions, his eyes wide and red, hazel irises glossy as he pressed his chapped lips in a tight line. The older continues. "You said you'd come into work the next day." He mumbles, his voice wavering. "You said you were okay." He emphasises the last word as he shuffles on the sofa, his hands clutched together so tight Niall can see his knuckles whiten. Zayn shakes his head, closes his eyes as he ducks his chin. _"Please._ Don't lie to me."

"I'm sorry." Niall finally blurts out, but it comes out weak and emotionless. So he repeats it until it sounds right. "I'm sorry." The word doesn't feel right. The many times he's been hurt and heard that stupid word over and over again made it completely lose meaning to him, it was useless. Zayn was left to stare at his fingers in silence and Niall couldn't resist but stand up and seat himself next to him, awkwardly offering him a rub on the back as some form of comfort.

The attempt had Zayn chuckling, wiping his eyes dry before fully facing the shy blond with a weak smile. "I just wanted to know you were okay." He whispers, his eyes trailing over Niall's frame before they stopped on his hands, his own hesitantly reaching out while he looked into Niall's eyes as if he was asking. The blond nods and Zayn visibly relaxes, engulfing Niall's small fingers with his own. "So are you?" He asks and the way Niall replies has his heart leaping with joy.

"Right now, I am." Niall admits, finding it odd how comfortable he is around Zayn despite previous circumstances, though one might argue that Zayn wasn't the one in fault anyway; it was a demon from his past and Niall feels the corners of his lips tug up because even though Zayn was the one to inflict the damage, he was also the one to melt the pain away. The older man sighs in content, his hands sliding up to cup his cheek but he doesn't kiss him. Instead, he rests his forehead onto Niall's with a fond smile, his eyes closed as he feels a wave of heat surround them.

_A perfect fit_ , Zayn notices, enjoys the way Niall's thumb strokes his skin and how his eyelashes flutter against Zayn's cheek. 

"This would feel even more great if," Zayn's finger traces down his cheek and down to his collar bone. "If you hadn't have taken that necklace off."

Niall grumbles something under his breath before he shuffles away from Zayn's hold, the older man frowning at the loss of warmth. The blond huffs a laugh before jogging away back to his room, he slipped his hand under his pillow and grabbed the necklace; it's chains cold against his skin but it didn't feel _new_ to him. It radiated with a homely familiarity. He leaves the room and bumps into Zayn's chest and he laughs at himself, curses under his breath while mumbling, "How many times are we going to bump into each other?"

Zayn smirks. "As many times as I can manage." The blond fiddles with the tie on his chest, rubbing his thumb on the silky fabric with a lost smile. "Does this mean you're doing this to me on purpose?"

The older laughs, loud and clear as if their problems didn't exist. "Don't question the ways of fate, my darling." He whispers and pinches Niall's cheek before taking the necklace into his hands, raising it up by both ends and nodding for Niall to turn around.

 

But he shakes his head no.

 

Zayn's look of pride is quickly replaced with hurt and almost betrayal as Niall denies his gift, his arms lowering as the blond frowned at him. "I don't think wearing that is necessary for the relationship we have." Zayn's face fell but Niall didn't seem to notice; he continued. "I mean, we did say our relationship was friendly sex, right? No dates, no exaggerated expectations, no complications." Zayn stayed silent and Niall took it as a sign to continue explaining, though he was still unaware of the pain flashing in Zayn's eyes. He was, also, undergoing some pain of his own. The necklace had made him feel comfortable; appreciated; it was something he cherished but he felt that it was something that made them cross the border they were trying to avoid.

"The necklace just added on a bit of pressure on me, I mean, it was sort of a intimate gesture and I just think that–"

"That the necklace is bad luck."

Niall's jaw dropped. "No!" He yelled. "No, definitely not! I just – I love it, I really do. I just think things got a little romantic after you given it to me and-" He pauses, gestures between the two of them. "Look where we are now." 

Zayn shakes his head, necklace locked inside the tight ball of his fist. "I don't understand." He said monotonously. "The reason we fell out was because of me, because I did something to hurt you and though I am still unaware of what I did, the necklace had nothing to do with my ignorance."

"It's not your fault, Zayn." Niall runs a hand down his face, stares down at his feet before wandering towards his bedroom, Zayn following suit. "It's mine."  

Zayn grips his elbow and pulls him back so their chests were pressed against each other. "No. It is _not_ your fault." He breathes and Niall would have stayed right where he was if he wasn't so afraid of how much he loved it.

He pulled away.

"You came here to ask questions." Niall said as he seated himself on his bed, ignoring the silver glint coming from the light reflecting from the necklace in Zayn's fist. "So ask." 

Zayn releases the most angered sigh, Niall noticing the immediate flash of annoyance in his eyes right before he began doing what he came here for. "Do you think you're ready to tell me what happened?" Niall was surprised, to say the least, his shoulders slumping as he stared at Zayn with his mouth parted open. He's glad Zayn asked that instead of what Liam did, straight up asking without thought. Niall's about to answer when Zayn answers instead.

"Because I am."

As curious as Niall was, he didn't want to force the man into telling him things he didn't want to say, and he made sure Zayn knew. "You don't have to if you can't, Zayn. Don't force yourself."

Somehow their hands ended up together again and as much as Niall wanted to pull away, knowing that this was not what they agreed to, he spoiled himself and let himself have this one moment.

"No." Zayn nodded with conviction. "I'm going to."

Niall squeezes his palm comfortingly, urging him on to continue with an encouraging nod. He waits patiently for what Zayn has to say. The older man takes a huge breath. He waits patiently for what Zayn has to say, the older man taking a huge breath before shaking his head. "I-I don't really know where to start? There's a lot to explain." Niall nods in understanding, accepting his nerves. "Start with something small, like that phone call. That was sort of the beginning of the drama occurring between us, wasn't it?" The blond chuckles weakly, remembering the anger and frustration mixing along with the annoyance with Zayn and Andrew's childish bickering.

Zayn nods. "Right." He breathes out again, straightening his posture. "The person I was talking too.. was–"

The shrill ringing of Niall's phone invaded the silence and Niall's fingers twitched in annoyance, the blond pretending as if it wasn't happening so Zayn could carry on. Zayn stared sullenly at the device on Niall's bedside table, his eyes then drifting to the blond's patient ones. "Aren't you going to get that?" He says as the phone stops but then starts again. Niall really doesn't want to because Zayn's about to open up to him, for christ's sake, and it took Niall a while to do that.

"No," the blond muttered, but he got up anyway, grumpily grabbing his phone and swiping his thumb across the screen after seeing three phone calls from his mum. Worry flashed through his eyes as he saw one single text in his Messages.

"What's wrong?" Zayn asks, concerned. "What is it?"

Niall gapes at the message on the screen, his whole face falling as he shakily handed his phone to Zayn. Once it's in the darker male's fingers, Niall's madly rushing around his bedroom, looking for clothes. Zayn reacted the same, running for the door instantly.

**Mum:** _This is Simon. Get to the hospital right now, Maura's been in an accident._

_—_

Tom had never driven so fast before, and Niall hadn't felt this scared in years. His whole body trembled despite the comfort Zayn was offering him, he tried his best to keep calm but with such a vague text sent from Simon, he really doesn't know what to expect. None of them do.

His mother was important to him, the only family member he had left was her and if she was hurt, Niall will undoubtedly have a panic attack. Sure, yesterday, he had the most painful flashback in a while but it doesn't compare to how he feels if his _mother_ got hurt.

 

So that's why Zayn held him close to his chest all the way from the blond's bedroom to Maura's hospital room, where Simon sat beside her with his brows furrowed in a frown. Niall took one look at her state and collapsed on the other chair opposite his step dad.

"M-Mum?" He weakly called, his lip wobbling as he forced back tears and from the door, Zayn's heart was shattering into pieces. Niall looked so _distressed._  She didn't reply though, her frail frame covered in bruises and blood and she had an oxygen mask on. She looked so.. _broken._

"She was attacked." Came Simon's monotonous reply, his head down as he played with his watch. Niall's eyes hardened. "By who?" 

Zayn was quite surprised to see Niall like this, his usual carefree, bubbly self being replaced by a protective and slightly possessive side, it was obvious Niall cared for her deeply. 

"We don't know." Simon replied, and the emotionless look on his face bothered Niall to no end. "We suspect it's because of me."

Niall snorted, brushing his thumb over his mum's knuckles. "I'm not surprised." He mumbled. "You're always the problem, anyway."

Simon ignores his muttering and continues with a sigh, the release of breath doing nothing for his hoarse throat. "Being who I am, I've gained many enemies in the past, so there's a lot of people I know that would pull a stunt just like this one."

This merely fuelled Niall's anger. "Of course." He growls. "Of fucking course. I'm not even surprised – in fact, I expected this!" Niall threw his hands in the air as he stood up, his teeth were gritted as he continued, his voice quiet as he kept in mind that his mother was sleeping. "This – _all_ of this, is because of _you!_ I can't believe how completely stupid you are I – you fucking know your reputation! Why the fuck didn't you assign her a bodyguard?!" Simon opens his mouth but Niall raises his hand up to stop him. "Because you're an idiot, that's why."

Zayn stood awkwardly by the door, his hands in his pockets as Niall continued to hate on Simon, who was in fact, just like him.

"I knew she shouldn't have married you!" His voice got louder and his temper was quickly picking up. "People like you are incapable of holding a relationship! All you fucking do is just sit there counting your money and care about nobody but yourselves and–"

"Niall," Came a weak voice that halted the blond immediately, rushing towards the bed and softly hugging his mother with tears in his eyes, the door slamming shut but it's sound fell upon deaf ears. "M-Mum, are you o-okay?"

"You can't talk to him like that, sweetheart, you can't be mad at a man for his mistakes." Niall frowns into her small shoulder but manages to chuckle wetly. "So I'm not allowed to hate on Number Two?" Maura giggled, slowly patting him on his back and it was enough for the blond to completely calm down. Number Two was someone they both despised after what he had done. He too had given Niall's childhood hell but as Maura ended their relationship, he tried to convince her it was a mistake. Maura and Niall left without looking back. 

"No, he's an exception of course." Niall slowly pulled away and he smiled, seeing her hand covered by Simon's. At least the man showed _some_ heart.  

 "Can I ask what happened?" He quietly whispers, happy that his mother was still smiling and joking as if she wasn't bleeding down her neck. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I don't remember." Her response had Niall's eyes widening and watering instantly, anger washing back over him as he glared at Simon. He was about to say something snarky when he noticed the disappearance of one very important person.

"Where's Zayn?"

—

After thirty minutes of searching, he finally finds the older man having a smoke on the roof of the hospital, the sun slowly setting and making the atmosphere around them even more tense as Niall approached.

"Zayn?" He calls out but the man barely glances at him over his shoulder, brushing off his name into the wind and continuing watching life pass him by. Niall comes to stand by his side and he takes note of the height difference between them, frowning slightly when he sees his forehead only reaches up to Zayn's lips. In an attempt to appear bigger, he straightens his posture but it does only a little for his height issue. Nevertheless, he prepared to ask Zayn _why_ he left because there were clearly more problems at hand than his size.

"Can you explain to me why you left all of a sudden?" The words tumbled out of him with no composure, quickly noticing how his voice was shaken and hoarse. Perhaps it was from the tears he shed earlier at the sight of his mother, or maybe it was just because of Zayn's ethereal presence; he doesn't know.   
Zayn looked like he wanted to say something but his words fell as short as the smoke escaped his mouth. Silence.

Niall turned to him and so did Zayn, staring down at him while he held the fag to his lips and his eyes scanned over Niall's shivering frame.

The blond waits.

"You had no right to say that to him."

Niall winces.

"You had no fucking right to say that about men like him because you're wrong, okay? You're so fucking wrong." Niall can _see_ it. Niall can see the anger flaring through his eyes and his fists are balling and his jaw is tense, he can _see_ Zayn's collected demeanour slip away. And he knew immediately that this was no longer about Simon; it was about him.

"You think we just sit there counting our money? No we – fucking hell, _Niall._ We do so much more than that you just – you don't understand." And he was crying. Tears were sliding down his cheeks and his face was scrunched up in both fury and helplessness. Niall took a step back as Zayn stepped forward and the blond was confused; confused, worried and scared because he's never seen Zayn like this before and he doesn't know what to say or do. So when Zayn sighs a shaky sigh and presses the cigarette to his lips, Niall doesn't give him the time to drag because he rips it from his fingers and throws it over the edge of the railing and down into the streets below.

He doesn't hesitate cupping Zayn's cheeks and surging forward to press their lips together in one – _very unnecessary_ – but much needed kiss.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try and post something on Sunday next week, I hope you all understand :(
> 
> I'm on tumblr! bradfordbuttfuck.tumblr.com (Most of my writing is on there anyway).


	13. Feel the heat between us two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How do you guys feel about top!Niall? I was thinking of making their relationship versatile. :)

The kiss lasts for a few seconds before Zayn's pulling away, eyes wide and his lips puckered. Niall immediately frowns. "I'm sorry, I just thought that–"

Zayn stops him, smiles before surging forward and cupping his cheek with one hand, the other coming around to snake around the blond's waist to press Niall close to him. The younger lad's hands rest on Zayn's shoulders and the whole thing seemed so secretive for some strange reason, like everything else didn't exist; how nobody knew.

It was true, in a way.

The only ones who knew of their relationship were him and Zayn and him and Zayn only; the rest of the world was clueless.

He pulls back again after realising what he just labelled what him and Zayn had between them in his head.  _Relationship._ Was that what it was? He refuses to think so. Can't really think of it like that especially after he returned Zayn's necklace to him.

What was he supposed to call it? An affair? It felt more than that. Friends with benefits? It didn't seem right to just be friends when Niall had the tiny suspicion that Zayn –

"Niall?" A thumb swipes the dark circle under his eye and the blond blinks up at him, his palm resting on Zayn's knuckles. "Sorry." He apologises. "I just don't think what I did was appropriate, especially since my mother's resting on a hospital bed."

Zayn's smiles falls but it was so brief that if Niall wasn't so focused on Zayn's face, he wouldn't have noticed. "I understand." He says, but the smaller man can sense his emotions as they come and go. "Do you really?"

The question catches Zayn off guard and Niall's eyes drop to his lips, seeing them gape like a fish out of water. "Zayn you've been acting quite peculiar recently and I'm very worried."

Zayn dismisses his care with a shake of his head. "You shouldn't be."

"You've been acting this way ever since –"

"Niall your mother's injured–"

"And that doesn't mean I can't worry about you too." Niall's voice is firm, holding immense certainty as he held Zayn's hands in his. He pressed a soft kiss to his lips. "We have a connection, _Mr. Malik_ , and even though I have taken the necklace off doesn't mean you still can't trust me."

Zayn smiles as he wets his lips, the small speech Niall had given causing him to lean forward, capturing Niall's mouth and slipping his tongue inside, twisting it with the blond's own. There are thoughts at his lips that he cannot convey into words, so he lets Niall know through a kiss. He hopes the other man can feel it too. When they pull back Zayn has a content smile on his face, but Niall seems more dazed than before, lashes fluttering as he slowly blinks. Niall looks like he wants to say something but Zayn acts like he didn't just. "What?" He chuckles, stepping back with his hands in his pockets.

Niall doesn't reply for a few seconds but when he feels the words at his throat, Zayn's already beckoning him inside. "Come on, your mum must be wondering of your whereabouts."

And as he disappears down the stairs, Niall slowly drags himself towards the door with an unidentifiable flutter in his chest. He knows Zayn has something to do with it because the way he acted after giving him the kiss completely gave away it's sense. The kiss was different, but Niall was incapable of identifying it's hidden meaning.

—

As soon as they head back downstairs, Niall feels a smile curl at his lips as he sees Liam there. He shouts his name and jogs into his arms for a hug and Zayn raises his eyebrows at the muttered thank you's Niall whispers into his chest.

"It's not a problem." Liam ruffles his hair with a tight lipped smile. "Couldn't leave my best friend to cry alone, could I?" They pull away and Niall's laughing before he stops himself, steps back a few so he's stood next to Zayn. Liam finally notices the man before he's grinding his teeth. "Ah," he mumbles. "So you weren't alone."

"Yeah," Niall sighs out but he's rushing out his next sentence. "But that doesn't mean you can't stay! C'mon, I need to ask the doctor a few things." He beckons the two into the small room but he heads in first, Liam slowly trailing after him but he stops, noticing the stare given to him by the older man.

"What?" He unintentionally snaps. A singular dark brown raises at him and Liam widens his own eyes at himself. Why is he so mad? He continues, nevertheless. "Haven't you got a meeting to attend to?" He mocks.

"Cancelled them all so I can come see Niall." Zayn stays calm, composed unlike Liam who seemed jittery and too on edge. "Is that even allowed?" He questions with a sneer.

"When you're a man that holds as much power as I do," Zayn smirks as he bumps Liam's shoulder with his, passing through the door with slightly skip in his step. "Yes. It is."

He leaves Liam by the door with his jaw touching the floor, coming by Niall's side with a comforting hand placed on his shoulder as the doctor explains her injuries.

"She will be fine in a few days – well, as fine as she can be. The attack caused a fractured rib and her stomach is severely bruised, we suspect the attacker's aim was to harm her insides."

"And have they fulfilled that aim?"

"Fortunately, no." He smiles. "Surprisingly, there was no damage to her arms and legs. Her back did have some injuries to it but we just can't figure out why the attacker had focused solely on her torso."

Niall stared down at his mother in concern. He's glad she wasn't that hurt, but he feared the attacker coming after her again. Was he even caught? The thought sent chills down his spine. He feels a hand rub comforting circles into his back. "What about to her head?" Niall mentally thanked Zayn.

"Apart from the collision of it hitting the floor, her head is unharmed."

Niall takes the information in but with slight suspicion. "She hit her head that hard?" The doctor frowned at him. "What do you mean?"

"She said she –" Immediately, Niall stops himself. She said she couldn't remember, but how come the doctor had no clue about it. Was she lying? The blond stares down at her sleeping form, Simon not present and probably for a stupid reason, Niall assumes. "Is she pressing charges?"

The older man shakes his head. "Not that I know of, no." Yeah, Niall thinks, his mother is definitely hiding something. "That's all, thank you." He dismisses the doctor before returning to his rightful place by his mother's side. He sighs and rubs a hand down his face, watching Liam take Simon's seat and Zayn stand next to him, lightly stroking his blond hair.

The door quietly closes and the three fall silent, staring aimlessly at Maura's unconscious body as she slept peacefully. Niall's sigh breaks the quiet before he turns to Liam with a smile at his lips. "So how are you and Danielle?" He tries to lighten the mood.

The question catches the lad off guard and he gapes for a minute. Niall instantly remembers his behaviour earlier and it causes him to lean forward expectantly. "Is everything alright, Li? You've been acting strange."

Zayn chuckles a little, noting how similar that question was to what Niall asked him earlier. The chuckle was not taken well to Liam and he scowls. "What are you laughing at?"

 _"Liam,"_ Niall chides, giving him a look that clearly said he wasn't helping. "What's going on?" His voice got softer as his eyes lowered to Liam's hands, taking notice of his knuckles that became prominent as he clenched his fists.

"I'll tell you another time." He mutters.

None of them spoke for the rest of the night.

 

Or maybe Liam just thinks it that way; maybe he refuses to think he heard the sweet nothings Zayn whispered into Niall's ear; maybe he despises the thought of Zayn stealing his best friend.

Maybe he just dislikes Zayn.

—

It's about two in the morning when Niall feels himself slipping into a deep sleep, his eyelids falling but he refuses, trying to keep them open even though his nose began to slowly nuzzle his mother's hand. Zayn's in a similar state on the set of chairs at the foot of the bed and Niall blinks his eyes, stares as Zayn grins lazily at him in a cheeky way before slowly drifting off.

The blond smiles into the sheets before doing the same, he appreciates Zayn choosing to stay.

—

By six in the morning, there's a rattle by the seats, Zayn jumping up as he stared down at his phone in anxiousness. He disturbs Liam and Maura's quiet conversation in the process but he doesn't pay them any attention, slowly approaching Niall and pressing a kiss to his forehead. "I'm sorry for leaving, please do tell him that." Zayn apologises while he traced his finger down Niall's cheek. "I have an issue that needs resolving, I hope that's okay."

"I'm sure it isn't a problem." Maura smiles at him.

Zayn smiles down at his sleepy form and slips his hand in Niall's pocket, one last wistful glance sent to him before he leaves the room in a rush.

 

Once he's left, Liam slams the door shut in the most quiet yet angry way. He seats himself beside Maura and sighs.

"You don't seem to like him." The lady croaks with an amused smile. Liam bobs his head and shrugs his shoulders. If only he could tell Maura about the thing Zayn did. "I just feel very protective of Niall, y'know? He's like my little brother."

"I understand that." She holds Niall's hand in his. "We all feel the need to protect him, but we need to think about what he feels sometimes."

"I know what Niall feels, and I just – I don't want him hurt." He had asked Niall about how he felt about Zayn, and his denial made it obvious. He remembers encouraging Niall to tell Zayn about what had happened to him but maybe the reason behind that was for Niall to tell him first. Because maybe, somehow, if he encouraged Niall to tell Zayn about what he went through, maybe he'd tell Liam too.

Maura shakes her head. "Sometimes we need to get hurt in order to learn." Muttered Maura with a deep sigh.

Liam smiles. "How are you feeling?"

She merely chuckles. "Not so fabulous."

—

Niall awakes with a tingling feeling at his forehead and a weight in his pocket. Liam greets him with lunch and his mother compliments his appearance. He asks them where Zayn's gone off to and Liam explains that the older man had ran off in a panic, the blond quickly understood.

The rest of the day was unimportant because the only thing he focused on was the necklace locked tightly in his fist. So what if he doesn't wear it? That doesn't mean he can't keep it near him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ouch. What's Liam's problem? And why do you think Zayn left? What's Maura hiding?  
> There's too many questions, ahah.


	14. Make it softer

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for not updating for a whole month. It's summer holidays here in the UK so I kinda stopped writing the chapter, but I didn't not do any writing at all! I'm quite eager to finish these one shots of mine, soo. Yeah. Sorry :/

When Maura wakes up, Niall refrains from questioning her about the concussion she supposedly had, he slowly watches her drift into consciousness before he grips her hand softly. He mutters a quiet "good morning" to her as she blinked blearily, asking her if she was feeling okay. He didn't want to ask her about it as soon as she woke up, but he cant help himself from rushing the process.

"I'm fine, Nialler. Jesus, I just woke up, darling, let me breathe, will you?" She chuckled tiredly. Niall just shrunk back in his seat, his plans destroyed.

Even more so when someone walks through the door. Both Zayn _and_ Liam.

Niall immediately cursed under his breath, knowing that when both are in the room, they always bicker, he doesn't understand why, exactly, but they seem to dislike each other strongly. He sighs and curls his lips into a fake smile, not really wanting either of their presence, if he's being honest.

"You alright, sweetheart?" Zayn questions as he ruffles Niall's hair, the blond nods and answers the same to Liam, slightly a little annoyed but he doesn't think Liam noticed. They should be asking his mother that, not him.

And as if the day could get any better, Simon strolls in also, rushing to Maura and ignoring the children in his way. They take their usual seats, Zayn standing next to Niall's seat and Liam seated opposite the blond on the other side of the bed, next to Simon. Maura catches sight of Niall's annoyed expression, because she's that good of a mother, and she snorts, muffles her laughter with a weak yawn.

"What did the doctor say?" Simon questions which Niall immediately scowled at. "Aren't you supposed to know that? You _were_ the first one by her side."

"Niall," His mother chided him for his rudeness, but the blond did not cower. "Where did you go last night anyway?"

Maura gasped. " _Niall!_ "

"What! He's your husband he should at least show some–"

"I wasn't the first one at her side."

"–heart." He paused before realising, "You weren't?" He lifted his head to stare at Cowell with narrowed eyes. And that's when Niall knew that there definitely was something wrong with his mother. "Then who took you in?" Maura looked panicked for a minute but Simon seemed to have the whole thing sorted, which seemed even more suspicious to Niall. "She was found by passerby's beaten up at an alley."

And yet, he states that he wasn't present for the doctor's briefing of the incident. Niall shut up in the end, choosing not to interrogate his mother when Simon was here because it was clear he wasn't going to get anything when Simon kept jumping into their conversation.

 

* * *

 

Niall tells Harry he can't attend work because of his mother's accident, Harry tells him it's okay because Zayn hasn't given them any assignments yet and all Niall could do was bite back a chuckle because Zayn was right there, next to him. Liam seemed to be avoiding Niall every time Zayn was present so he wandered off somewhere while the two chatted on the rooftop with nothing but smiles on their faces.

"So what was that back there, with Simon?" Niall just shrugs. "I suspect something going on but I didn't want to push it, I can feel in my heart that they're hiding something but I'm not going to get anything with him there."

Zayn look surprised, eyebrows raised as the blond scooted closer to him on the bench, their elbows touching as they stared at the city view below them. "Those are some very.. _open_ thoughts." He chuckled.

"We did make a promise and I'm determined to keep it this time." Niall smiles at him and rests his head on Zayn's shoulder. "I'm glad you're here by the way, you take away my stress."

The older man smiled down at him and pressed a kiss to his temple. "I'm glad I do."

Niall sighs and removes his head before glancing up at Zayn and smiling apologetically. "I'm sorry I walked out on you in the middle of.. y'know." Zayn shook his head dismissively, "Nonsense. You had a good reason to."

"Yeah, I know, but.." The pause causes shivers to rise up Zayn's spine. The way Niall's voice audibly lowered and the hand on his thigh slowly crawled higher was enough to give him a good idea of what the blond wanted before he could even announce it out loud. "I feel like I should make up for it."

"Niall I'm not going to fuck you on a roof when your mother is suffering from a concussion just a few floors down."

"That's not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" And did Zayn really want to find out?

Niall stood from his seat and crawled in between Zayn's legs. But the older denied him access. "You're not going to suck my cock either."

"But what if I want to?"

"Then," he paused, thinking about it. "You'd be mental."

Niall's head tilted in confusion and he frowned. "How? This is what we agreed to."

"Yes, but I don't feel like I can sexually please you after what I've done." And the sorrow was visible on his face. Taking a deep breath, Niall leaned forward and flicked his tongue over the material of Zayn's trousers. Immediately, a moan emitted from Zayn's throat and he bucked his hips up, a hand coming up to rest on Niall's hair. "See?" The blond said smugly. "I knew you wanted it, too."

"Be quiet." Zayn rolled his eyes. Niall giggled into his thigh before slowly zipping down his zipper, Zayn's half hard cock coming into view in the restricting fabric of his boxers. With that, Niall grinned and sucked on the low-hanging balls that was located a little lower down from his bulge. He takes it into his mouther and sucks lightly, already able to tell that Zayn was craving the proper friction of Niall's mouth already.

But before Niall could pull his boxers down, a loud ringing erupted from the older man's pocket. The blond frowns as Zayn stands up. Niall wipes his mouth and watches the other with worried eyes, noting how Zayn looked scared again. "Who is it?" He asks while the darker lad stared at the screen of his phone nervously.

He doesn't answer Niall's question. "I have to go." He drops the device into his pocket and pulls Niall into his chest, embracing him tightly before pressing a kiss into his hair. "I hope you confront your mother about whatever your suspecting," he chuckles. "I'll see you later. Bye sun–" Niall cuts him off by grabbing the collar of his shirt and tugging him forward, roughly pressing their lips together. It seemed a lot of kissing occurred on this roof.

Niall pulls away, hands shaky as he leans his forehead on Zayn's. "Please." He begs. "Please, _never_ call me that."

He's crying quietly into his neck before Zayn's pulling away and leaving wordlessly, having nothing to say to comfort Niall at the time because he had some troubles of his own, but they could only be solved in the most smallest of ways. Niall just wasn't willing to cooperate.

 

* * *

 

He's overjoyed once he sees that he's finally got a chance to face his mother alone, not a single sight of an irritating best friend or an enigmatic sex god as well as an even more annoying step father. It's just him and his birth giver.

"Mum?" He says quietly as she closes her eyes. She's not sleeping, she's just resting. She did this a lot when Niall was little, when everything was too much, Maura liked to stare at the ceiling and just breathe for a moment because she believed everything got better when you cleared your head. "Yes?" She replies, eyes still closed.

"Can I ask you something?" He questions shyly, "And can you promise me you'll tell the truth?" Maura stares at him worriedly, not voicing her reply and instead just nodding her head.

Niall sighs, watching his mother furrow her well-plucked eyebrows. "What _really_ happened to you?" Her eyes flew open at that and Niall saw her thickly swallow. "The truth, please. Because I know for a fact that you're not telling me the full story."

"Simon told you." She said, refusing eye contact. "I was ambushed by one of the people he's angered and I was beaten and bruised." Niall knew that part. "You said you have a concussion."

"I did, that's why I can't remember most of what happened. It's all just a blur, really.."

"The doctor said you you don't."

Niall felt her eyes on him and he looked back, silence falling amongst their room and he can see the guilt all over her face. "The truth, mum. Please." She looks more sick than how Niall first found her. "Just be honest with me."

She's staring at the sheets as if she thinking but Niall knows she's not. She zones out and stares into space and that's usually where Niall worried because Niall doesn't understand why she does it, it just happens when it's least expected. It's like her mind just goes completely blank.  
"Mum?"

She blinks before turning her head to face him, almost like a robot. "Number Four."

 

And Niall's whole life comes crashing down.

 

 

You see, Maura had four husbands before Simon. Husband number one, which was Niall's real dad, who was the nicest of them all but wasn't good enough for Maura and they split. Him and Niall have yet to reconnect, but Niall isn't mad at him or his mother, he was very accepting.

Husband number two was the beginning of the downfall for both Maura and Niall.

His mother had wasted three years with him and he didn't even love her, too busy wasting his life away with another woman. Niall had been the one to catch him, aged eleven and innocent as ever, staring at the man on bed with a woman who _wasn't_ his mother. Niall had ran to Maura that night, asking if marriage allowed you to give "horsey rides" to other people. She answered with divorce and that was the end of that.

Husband number three was a questionable one. Niall was twelve and already sick of men hurting his mother emotionally so when Niall came home to his mother being physically hurt made him to completely lose it. He couldn't do anything but drag his broken mother out the house until somebody helped him, his step father away at "work".

By the time husband number four came around, the two were just so done with it all that they thought it was just too good to be true when the man – who was wealthy and mentally stable – came around. When he asked to marry Maura, she conferred with her son first, wanting his opinion. Niall and him had met and he was wonderful and if his mum was happy, then he was too.

So they married, and that's where Niall first met Dante. Niall was fifteen at the time, still as cute and as innocent as he was thought to be. Dante was sweet, and cuddly, but he _wasn't_ who Niall first thought _he'd_ be. Dante was tall, eighteen with black hair that covered his eyebrows, his fringe spiky. Niall chooses not to remember his eye colour. 

Niall doesn't even like thinking about him and the things he did, he still gets nightmares and he still feels dirty, the many times he's scrubbed harshly at his pale skin until it was rubbed raw with red, he felt so worthless. In retrospect, Niall should have seen it coming in the first place, the way he stared at Niall when it was his turn to get in the shower and the soft rubbing he gave to Niall's thigh under the dinner table as well as the midnight "cuddles" he gave Niall while the blond was sleeping. It was only when Niall grew up that he finally understood what the hard thing prodding his bum was.

His father, Riccardo was just as misleading. He mad Maura happy and gave Niall everything he asked for, the two were actually beginning to think they were seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

Dante was the first to prove their thoughts wrong. He had groped Niall and made him do things he didn't want to do and wear things he didn't want to wear; after months and months of suffering Niall was sure he and Dante had gone through every position, kink and place in their house (and outside of it!) possible. You could say that Niall was very 'experienced' in sex, but in the most disgusting way possible. 

Maura had walked in on Dante with his full length buried in Niall's ass while he was tied up, blindfolded and gagged, crying softly into the fabric around his mouth. She had pushed Dante out of the way and called him a bunch of names that Niall didn't know then but knew very well now. She then confronted Riccardo that night but it didn't end as well as Niall thought. 

"He can do whatever he wants," He said with smile, but this time it was all but pleasant to Maura. She scoffed, arms crossed on her chest. "Excuse me? That's my son."

"Yeah, and that's _my_ son. And my son can do whatever the _fuck_ he wants."

Maura gaped at him, speechless.

"I think it's a good thing." He grinned down at his desk, shuffling through the papers he received from his busy day at the office. "Dante's never looked so happy before, and it's nice he's teaching the little fag a lesson anyway. Niall needs to learn and what better way than to learn from a sibling?"

Without any hesitance, Maura slapped him hard in the face, the sound echoing so loud it was heard from through the door, where Niall watched the situation with his lip in between his teeth.

"You are a vile and disgusting man!" She exclaimed. "I refuse to stay here any longer!"

Riccardo held his cheek before staring down at the small lady with a baffled expression, his face turning maniacal as he stood from his seat and balled his fists. "You think you can leave?" He psychotically grinned. "You think you can slap me and walk away?" 

Niall was pulled away before he could witness the first hit, he only heard the loud slam of his mother's body falling to the floor before he faced Dante, a smile on the older lad's face that Niall knew all too well. "You hungry, Ni?" Yes, he was. But not the kind of hungry Dante was thinking of.

 

 

Maura squeezed the blond's hand, snapping him from his whiplash as he shook in his seat. Niall shook his head rapidly, pulling away from his mother and standing up, pacing the room with his hands in his hair. "No.." He murmured. "It's not possible, they can't have followed us!" His voice rose as well as his heartbeat, pounding vigorously in his chest while he hyperventilated. 

"Niall, I need you to calm down–"

" _I can't fucking calm down!_ " He cried, hugging himself as he sat on the floor, cradling. "This is why we didn't tell you, Niall, we-we knew that you'd be like this.." She was crying and so was Niall. His mother was right. It's been over a decade, he can't act like this, he's forgotten about it, he can't freak out in front of his mother when he's convinced her he was capable of taking care of himself.

"M-Mum, what if – what if he brought _him?_ " He weakly whimpered as he shakily walked back to the seat next to his mother's bed. "What if they find us?"

Maura frowned, wanting to hug her son but finding that the pain in her torso made her incapable of doing anything but lay there, helplessly. "Niall, stop." She ordered, using her motherly tone to snap Niall from his mild panic attack. "Niall, Simon has this sorted, okay? Don't worry about it, okay, sweetheart?"

Maura, herself, was frightened, but she trusted Simon and he's been nothing but good to her the whole time they've been together. She knows she can rely on him to put things right.

The blond nodded apprehensively before sighing and evening out his breaths. "It's still impossible, mom. How did he get here? How did he know you were here? I mean, we.." His throat was aching and he was trying so hard not to cry again. "We _left,_ mum.. I don't understand."

"I know, Niall, I know." She had to stay calm for her son. "Breathe, love, breathe." She told him, smiling softly as he followed. "I want you to go home." The older woman sighs.

Niall's reaction was immediate. "What?! _No!_ "

"Niall, you need rest."

"And you need protection! What if he comes here? What if in the middle of the night he hurts you again? What if–" He was cut off by his mother slapping his hand. "Will you shut up?" The blond boy pouted.

"I'll be fine, okay? Jesus, is this what you feel like when I baby you?" Niall manages to crack a smile and nod. "Well, remind me to go a little easy on you." She chuckles.

"Now where's that man of yours?"

The blond frowns. "He left in a rush, probably an issue with the company or something." Maura narrows her eyes at that. "You sure about that?" Niall once again bobs his head. "Alright." She mutters, unconvinced. "Just make sure he isn't sneaking off with someone else."

The edges of Niall's lips form a deeper pout, shaking his head because they weren't like that, and if Zayn was seeing someone else, then why should Niall care? They weren't in a relationship, what they had was purely physical.

 

* * *

 

Niall comes home to pizza with Liam, who seemed way happier than he was the last time Niall saw him. He smiles with a mouthful of pizza and waved, looking a little baffled he was here. "Hey, Nialler."

Niall greets him with a side hug before digging into the greasy food left in the box. "Mum said I needed rest." He explains monotonously.

Liam immediately notices the sadness dawning his face and he frowns, placing an arm around his shoulder. "You okay?The blond smiles unconvincingly, nodding his head. "So what was it that you were going to tell me that you couldn't tell me before?" He mutters against the crust, needing the subject to change before he cries again. He can't have Liam seeing him that way.

"Oh yeah," Liam pulls away, face falling as he remembers. Niall eyes him quietly, choosing not say anything but watching him stare into space, looking deep in thought.

He's been acting so weird and Niall honestly doesn't understand it. Through most of their friendship, Niall had been the one to run to Liam, spilling to him his feelings and his thoughts but during the process of remembering, Niall suddenly realises that he's never actually got Liam to confess anything. 

Niall looks up at him with a small smile, nodding encouragingly when Liam glances nervously at Niall with his lip bitten.

The man sighs, "It's about Danielle and me." He breathes out before grabbing a beer from the fridge and striding out to the living room. Niall follows him wordlessly, seating himself on the couch. "Remember that time I texted you about her tying me up?" He flushes profusely, staring down at the bottle in his fist.

"Yeah," Niall chuckles. "How did that go?"

Liam doesn't sugarcoat it. "Awful."

The smile on Niall's face disappears and he's worried now, the look on his friend's face showing how extremely distressed he is. Niall offers him a small rub on the back with his hand. "What happened?"

"Well, once she handcuffed me, I wasn't exactly turned on by the whole thing no matter how hard she tried. So she uncuffed me and told we could do it how we normally would, and I agreed." He took a large gulp from the bottle and frowns at the floor, memories from the night flooding back. They were both so angry and frustrated at each other, but sex wasn't able to solve it. They just didn't click and Liam didn't understand why. "When I was about to fuck her I just pulled back and I, I dunno, I just couldn't do it." He lets out a defeated sigh. "I know I still like her, love her even but I – I don't know anymore.."

Somehow, Niall understood him and he smiled at his friend reassuringly, the usual big grin he has on his face that some people have told him was an equivalent to the sun. "It's okay, Li." He ruffles the lad's short, stubbly hair. "Some relationships just aren't supposed to last. The spark some people have fades within time and it will occur to you one day that, though you're hurting right now and how many times you tell yourself you like her, maybe you just weren't meant to be." _Aced it._

Liam paused for a beat, staring into Niall's eyes as he processed the blond's words in his head before a huge crinkly smile spread across his face. He nodded in acceptance before pulling Niall into a hug, an embrace Niall accepted with great zeal.

He makes sure to keep Niall's wise words in mind, because he knows that'll come in handy in the near future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of shit is about to go down, and I'm pretty hyped up right now so I'm probably going to update quicker because the drama is usually the most fun to write :)


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